The U.S. Meat Export Federation is sending officials to an international conference this fall aimed at maximizing sustainable meat production over the next 50 years.

The 18th World Meat Congress, to be held Sept. 28-29 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, will also include discussions of sanitary issues, markets and analysis of new consumers, according to a news release.

Joel Haggard, the USMEF's Asian Pacific Region vice president, will take part in a panel titled "Market Operators in the International Trade," while USMEF President Philip Seng will lead a discussion of the future of the global meat industry.

The event will focus heavily on sustainability, animal welfare and the environment, said Jim Herlihy, the USMEF's vice president of communications.

"With a global population that is projected to grow by 2.6 billion people by 2050 -- the equivalent of adding two more Chinas -- the world's meat industry is facing a challenge of feeding a rapidly growing populace with no new land, and doing it in a sustainable fashion," Herlihy told the Capital Press in an e-mail.

In addition, the Congress' participants will examine trends in international trade, developing markets and the challenges of matching sustainability with the demands of retailers, Herlihy said.

Organized by the nonprofit International Meat Secretariat every other year, the Congress gathers the main actors in the world's bovine, ovine and pork industries. The IMS promotes the international meat and livestock sector while working with intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations, according to its website.

-- Tim Hearden

Online:

International Meat Secretariat: www.meat-ims.org/en/index.php

U.S. Meat Export Federation: www.usmef.org