The Egg Industry Center at Iowa State University and the International Egg Commission (IEC) have forged a partnership for collaboration and industry advancement on a global scale.
Both parties outlined their mutual desire to keep each other informed of avian influenza research and other activities in a memorandum of understanding signed in August.
The Egg Industry Center started this summer gathering information on projects related to avian influenza (AI). As part of its role in gathering and disseminating research information this list will be shared periodically with both domestic and international stakeholders.
IEC reached out to Hongwei Xin, EIC Director and Iowa State distinguished professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering and animal science, to offer a seat on its Avian Influenza Task Force.
In addition to its partnership on AI, IEC announced on Sept. 21, a new Global Roundtable for Sustainable Egg Production (GRSE). This will be a multi-stakeholder initiative with representation across the production and consumption value chain. The goal will be to achieve production that is environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable.
As one of the industry's leading researchers in environmental sustainability, Xin was a natural fit for the group and excited about the announcement. "It should be a nice enhancement of the partnership between IEC and EIC," Xin said.
Xin will provide his technical expertise on items like air monitoring, which he applied during a three-year commercial scale study of egg production for the Coalition for a Sustainable Egg Supply. His work on the "Comparative Assessment of the Environmental Food print of the U.S. Egg Industry in 1960 and 2010" also will be helpful.
While avian influenza devastated the industry in 2015, increased collaboration and the new partnership ensure a new and renewed strength for moving forward, Xin said.
About EIC
The Egg Industry Center was established at Iowa State University in 2008. Its mission is to add value to the egg industry by facilitating research and learning for egg producers, processors and consumers through national and international collaboration. To find more information on the center, visit www.eggindustrycenter.org.
About IEC
The International Egg Commission represents the international egg industry in both developed and developing countries. As the only organization representing the global egg industry, IEC provides a unique platform for sharing information and developing relationships. IEC is the global voice of the egg industry to organizations such as the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). For more information, visit the IEC website.
Lesa Vold, Egg Industry Center, (515) 294-4037, lvold@iastate.edu