Copyright
The designation employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
Foreword
The IDF/FAO/OIE International Symposium on Dairy Safety and Hygiene was held in the Bantry Bay President Hotel, Cape Town South Africa from 2 to 5 March, 2004. After years of intensive collaborative planning, everything came together successfully and it is a privilege to report that more than 300 delegates from 32 countries attended the Symposium. 10 countries attending were not current members of the IDF. It is also exciting and significant that the Symposium was presented under the auspices of three international organizations of the caliber of the IDF, the FAO and the OIE, arguably the first time that this has happened. The 41 speakers were from 20 countries and all were invited on the basis of their unique expertise and experience to contribute to a truly memorable scientific gathering.
The objectives of the Symposium were to deliberate on ensuring safe and suitable dairy products using a Farm to Table approach, also taking into consideration countries with emerging dairy industries. The more specific objectives included the management of the health and welfare of dairy animals, ensuring safety and quality of feed and water supplies, to examine the protection of the environment and last but not least, to discuss ways of ensuring safety and hygiene and identifying potential hazards along the whole the dairy production chain.
Due to the complexity of the main theme and its uniquely practical nature, it was important to target the right audience. After much discussion in the planning stages of the Symposium it was decided to target any person actively involved in furthering the objectives of dairy safety and hygiene in their respective countries or companies. This would include farm extension officers, public and private health professionals, technical and quality management staff, educators and trainers, scientists and researchers. It was regarded as important that technically qualified persons and educators from countries with an emerging dairy industry component be invited to use the information generated at this forum for adaptation to the particular circumstances existing in their countries and companies.
The Symposium in terms of outcomes indeed ensured that delegates would not leave the conference empty handed. The report of the IDF/FAO Taskforce on Good Dairy Farming Practices was tabled on this occasion and printed copies of the resultant Guide were made available for the first time. This report, a joint publication by the IDF and the FAO, describes in practical terms the Good Agricultural Practices that should be applied during primary production of milk. The sections dealt with included Animal health, Milking hygiene, Animal feeding and water and the Environment. The actual sessions of the Symposium itself were largely based on the latter subject matter from a primary production perspective, but went on to highlight the latest developments and new insights pertaining to the management of microbiological and chemical hazards at dairy processing level. In this way the Symposium effectively addressed its objectives in applying a comprehensive food chain approach to dairy safety and hygiene from the farm to the table.
It is on behalf of the South African National Committee of the IDF, the Organizing- and Programme Committees of UBISI2004 and also our colleagues in the IDF International Secretariat, the FAO and the OIE, my privilege to invite you to now enjoy the full, hard copy proceedings of the Symposium. I also wish to offer my heartfelt gratitude to all who made a contribution to this major initiative – it was a true team effort.
IDF/FAO international symposium on dairy safety and hygiene Cape Town,
2–5 march 2004, South Africa |
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