MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

FAO regional forum on sustainable livestock starting in Punta del Este

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu is to appear through a video speech

A regional conference for the sustainable transformation of livestock hosted jointly by Uruguay's Agriculture and Livestock Ministry and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is starting Tuesday at the exclusive beach resort of Punta del Este in the department (province) of Maldonado.

The 2-day convention seeks to promote innovative, resilient, and sustainable production systems in the livestock industries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Attendees will get a first-hand update on the latest perspectives for the management of more efficient, innovative, and sustainable systems over time, which are capable of reducing environmental impact and increasing accessibility to healthy food in the different livestock chains. It will also seek to promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences among the countries of the region.

The event will be attended by authorities from Argentina, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Brazil, Guyana, and Ecuador as well as by delegations of producers, scientists, development agencies, donors, financial organizations, decision-makers, representatives of civil society and the private sector. President Luis Lacalle Pou is expected to deliver the opening speech alongside FAO Assistant Regional Director and General Representative, Mario Lubetkin, and Livestock Minister Fernando Mattos, among other high-ranking officials. FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu is to appear through a video speech.

Uruguay's National Meat Institute (INAC) will be in charge of the first panel on the Sustainable Transformation of Livestock in Latin America and the Caribbean. INAC President Conrado Ferber said that the government agency has “no doubt” that Uruguayan meat is “sustainable” and “an example for the world.”