18th world congress of pig veterinarians opens in Hamburg Hamburg, 2004-06-28
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“Health care comes at a price”

Federal Consumer Ministry: congress dealing with
health care and husbandry “points the way forward”

Councillor Wersich:
most important
congress on the topic
of pig health
2004-06-27 (Hamburg) - The 18th world congress of pig veterinarians kicked off today in Hamburg. In his opening speech, Secretary of State of the Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Farming Dr. Gerald Thalheim stated that the congress motto (“healthy pigs for wholesome pork”) “points the way forward.” He continued that topics such as “pig health, food safety, management and husbandry, animal welfare and environmental protection reflect the interests of European and German politics.” Thalheim expressed relief eight weeks after the expansion of the European Union: fears that Germany would be flooded with cheap products “were misplaced: the German market has been hardly affected.”
“Pig meat is cheaper than dog food, but health care and appropriate husbandry come at a cost.” Criticised the power of the market and the pricing policies of the supermarket chains - President of the IPVS Bossow.
Congress president Henning Bossow stressed the shift in demands on the pig veterinarian: “The veterinarian essentially used to be a healer, now he is a health manager.” He criticised the power of the market and the pricing policies of the supermarket chains: “Pig meat is cheaper than dog food, but health care and appropriate husbandry come at a cost.”

The Councillor of the Hamburg Ministry of Science, Dietrich Wersich, dubbed the congress “the most important congress on the topic of pig health, meat quality and animal welfare.”

The organiser of the congress, the International Pig Veterinary Society (IPVS), expects around 2,500 participants from around the world. 850 scientific papers will be published at the congress, of which 250 will be presented as talks and 615 presented in an exhibition.

The IPVS was founded in 1967. The world congress of pig veterinarians is being staged in Germany for the first time for 32 years and continues until Thursday 1st July in the Congress Centrum Hamburg (CCH).
Dirk Wildt, phone +49 (0)30 695 343 57 This Text as PDF-File | Back