ARLINGTON, VA (Animal Ag Alliance) — The ninth annual Stakeholders Summit will be hosted by the Animal Agriculture Alliance (Alliance) April 28–29, 2010 in Arlington, Virginia. Each year, the Summit brings together stakeholders from across the food chain to address the most challenging issues facing animal agriculture, including animal welfare, public health, farm security, and the animal rights movement. The event will feature prominent speakers and aims to educate attendees while facilitating a meaningful dialogue among industry leaders about these important challenges facing modern agriculture.
The Summit is attended by a diverse group of leaders within the food system, including representatives from farms, ranches, food processors, restaurants, grocery stores, legislators, and government agencies. Early registration for the one-and-a-half day event is $325 for Alliance members and $375 for non-members. The Alliance is offering a special rate of $275 for those in government or academia. Registration materials are available on the Alliance's Web site at www.animalagalliance.org.
The 2010 Summit will be held in a new location. Attendees should book rooms in the "Animal Agriculture Alliance" block in The Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel at the special rate of $239 by visiting the hotel's Web site at http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/animalagrialliance or by calling (703) 717-6200. Conveniently located in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, the hotel is within walking distance of the Ballston Metro Station and is just four miles from Reagan National Airport.
The conference theme and program are currently under development by the Alliance. Others interested in participating on the program planning committee are encouraged to contact Alliance Executive Vice President Kay Johnson Smith at kjohnson@animalagalliance.org. The highly-acclaimed 2009 Summit explored the use of politics and religion by activists to influence the animal welfare debate. Previous events have focused on debunking the myths of modern agriculture and strengthening communication efforts between industries.
"Today, more than ever, it is important that those involved in food production take proactive steps to learn about the issues and educate the public," Johnson Smith said. "The Summit provides unparalleled opportunities for industry leaders to address the most critical challenges facing agriculture and to unify in response to inaccurate claims perpetuated by activists."
A full 100 percent of attendees at the 2009 Summit rated the program "excellent" or "good," and the Alliance hopes to build on this success in 2010. Agricultural organizations and companies are encouraged to support the educational goals of the Summit by co-sponsoring the event. Potential sponsors should visit the Alliance's Web site or call (703) 562-5160 for more information.
The Animal Agriculture Alliance, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, is a broad-based coalition of individual farmers, ranchers, producer organizations, suppliers, packer-processors, private industry scientists, veterinarians and retailers. The Alliance's mission is to communicate the important role of animal agriculture to our nation's economy, productivity, vitality and security and that animal well-being is central to producing safe, high-quality, affordable food and other products essential to our daily lives.
