The highlight of last year’s Congress was the signing of a Declaration by meat-sector representatives from around the world establishing 6 June as World Meat Day.

DECLARATION ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF WORLD MEAT DAY
The right to partake of animal protein is a fundamental and inalienable human right. Bereft of it, humankind cannot endure, and the young body cannot attain its full and proper development. Without animal protein there would be neither the edifice of modern civilisation nor the very concept of modern humanity. Animal protein belongs to that narrow circle of irreplaceable staples. Wherever it is denied, hunger and malnutrition hold sway – forces that, throughout history, have sparked wars and precipitated the downfall of entire societies.

Today the meat sector stands at the vanguard of sustainable development, driving gains in agricultural productivity. Livestock husbandry has elevated the living standards of rural populations, fortifying both village and city alike against crisis. Animal production, moreover, forms one of the pillars of the international order and of global trade relations.

For these reasons we, the undersigned representatives of farmers, livestock breeders, meat processors and the scientific community, fully cognisant of the indispensable role of animal husbandry and meat production in the life and health of humankind and in the food security of nations, do hereby solemnly proclaim 6 June to be World Meat Day.

We adopt this Declaration so that it may find permanent lodgement in the practice of agriculture, livestock husbandry and meat processing, and in the consciousness of every nation – serving as an unfailing reminder of the paramount importance of animal protein to human life and to the prosperity of national economies.