New commitment to responsible and sustainable animal husbandry
Christian Schmidt, Germany's Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture said in a statement that the issue of sustainable handling of animals in production of food of animal origin is one of the most important challenges from present time.
"Livestock husbandry will play an important role in the development of the world’s population in a number of different ways. The global population’s nutritional status, the economic prosperity of rural regions, and the impact on the climate and the environment are just some of the factors where interests need to be weighed and a fair and just balance struck," Mr. Schmidt explained.
Another important issue that Mr. Schimdt reiterated was the mutual dependence between human health and animal health. Mr. Schmidt explained that this fact is evident when referring to the context of zoonoses and the issues surrounding resistance to antimicrobials.
"This is why we have resolved, in our final communiqué, to strengthen our efforts worldwide to combat the unnecessary use of antimicrobials as growth promoters in livestock husbandry. We also want to enhance resource conservation in the animal husbandry sector. Site-specific, regionally adapted solutions need to be found. Modern production techniques, new technologies and the transfer of know-how are the key to developing livestock husbandry into a sustainable and efficient sector," Mr. Schmidt added.
Furthermore, the German official stressed the important role that animal husbandry has in reaching the sustainability goals set out in the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
"This particularly applies to the so-called SDG 2, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. With the communiqué that we have adopted today, we have committed ourselves to this and are at the same time contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda," the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture concluded.
The Berlin World Food Conference - the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) - is taking place this year for the tenth time. Its political climax is the Berlin Agriculture Ministers Conference – the world’s largest meeting of agriculture ministers. At the invitation of the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, agriculture ministers from all over the globe discuss the key issues for the future of the global food and agricultural sector. The motto this year is: "Shaping the future of livestock – sustainably, responsibly, efficiently."
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