UEP President and CEO Chad Gregory served as a panel moderator at the first joint annual meeting of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs (US-RSPE) and the International Poultry Welfare Alliance (IPWA) on October 30 in Atlanta. UEP is a founding member of US-RSPE.

Keynote speaker Dr. Candace Croney, director, Center for Animal Welfare Science with Purdue University, spoke about addressing consumers’ worries regarding animal welfare and sustainability. She concluded her keynote by stating, “To gain credibility and trust, be explicit about care, compassion and animals…not efficiencies, benefits to farmers, etc.”

Ryan Bennett, executive director for the US-RSPE/IPWA, discussed the joint structure for the two groups and how they will work together domestically and internationally. Other speakers included Molly Parker, director of food safety and animal care for Butterball and IPWA board member, and Leigh Ann Johnston, director of sustainable food strategy for Tyson Foods and US-RSPE chair.

During the final session, Gregory provided an overview of egg and poultry supply chain commitments and moderated a panel of speakers presenting welfare and sustainability impacts. Greg Herbruck, president of Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, presented perspectives from the layer sector. Dr. Will Dillard, a veterinarian for Peco Foods, Inc. reported on the broiler sector perspective, and Ernie Meier, the director of quality for McDonald’s Corporation, spoke on the food sector perspective.