USSEC recently conducted a workshop in Caracas, Venezuela highlighting Feed Safety and Quality Assurance Systems for poultry producers.  This event was organized in coordination with the Venezuelan Poultry Federation (FENAVI) and Venezuela’s office of the Inter American Agriculture Institute (IICA) for quality personnel in poultry operations.  Approximately 50 participants from various Venezuelan poultry producers and feed mills that consume U.S. soybean meal attended this workshop.  USSEC consultant Belinda Pignotti welcomed attendees and opened the event by presenting information about USSEC and the role it plays in providing technical support to the soybean industry in the United States and around the world.  An IICA representative talked about food safety, focusing on both the global perspective and specifics in the South American region and Venezuela.  USSEC consultant Julio Chaves gave three presentations discussing food safety in the chicken chain, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) concepts and animal welfare.

The USSEC consultants also visited two poultry producers to provide recommendations on improving their cleaning and sanitation procedures and how to motivate the workers performing these tasks.  The participating poultry producers found this workshop to be interesting and useful and many of them expressed their interest in receiving further technical support from USSEC.