Mr. Ma Youxiang, Chief Director of Animal Husbandry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: China has become the largest livestock producer in the world after 70 years of rapid development
On September 19th 2019, “3rd World Conference on Farm Animal Welfare” was held in Qingdao. The conference featured “Consumer-driven Quality Improvement: Assuring Animal and Human Health”.
Mr. Ma Youxiang, Chief Director of Animal Husbandry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, delivered a welcome speech at the opening ceremony.
Ma Youxiang said that this year was the 70th anniversary of the founding of P.R. China. In the past 70 years, animal husbandry has developed rapidly in China. China has become the largest livestock producer in the world. The livestock industry has grown from a household sideline business to a pillar industry of the agriculture. In the 70 years, the development of animal husbandry had achieved two major milestones: solving supply problems and solving quality and safety issues. The animal husbandry had steadily progressed into the high-quality development stage. Along with the sustained and healthy development of animal husbandry, farm animal welfare had developed at the same time with remarkable achievements. The standardized farming level had been improved continuously, which had effectively improved the production conditions of farm animals. With the comprehensive promotion of livestock waste utilization, the living environment of farm animals would be more suitable. The animal epidemic prevention system and measures had been continuously strengthened, which had significantly improved the health of farm animals. The standardized development of the slaughtering industry had effectively guaranteed the basic welfare of farm animals in the slaughtering process.
Mr. Ma Youxiang pointed out that in Chinese traditional culture, there were many ideas on the harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature. It contained many principles on the interdependence between livestock development and animal welfare protection, which was also the law of society development that we should all follow. With further implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, the pace of modern animal husbandry development had accelerated, animal farming would become more standardized and regulated. The farming conditions in line with livestock requirements had continued to improve. The welfare of farm animals would reach a higher level. At the same time, with economical and social development, people paid more attention to the quality and safety of animal products, and also put forward new requirements for farm animal welfare. Therefore, in the coming period, the development of China's animal husbandry would adhere to the concept of green development, continue to promote standardized large-scale livestock farming, support moderate-scale livestock farming and help the standardized farming of small farmers, promote intelligent facilities and equipment, ensure the source of green and safe feeds, implement the upgrading plan for the slaughtering industry, promote livestock waste utilization based on the circulation of planting and livestock farming, and establish a modern animal epidemic prevention system and bio-safety protection system to protect farm animal health and to facilitate the simultaneous development of animal production and animal welfare protection.
In recent years, China had made many positive developments in animal welfare technology promotion and cooperation. Mr. Ma Youxiang said that China had cooperated with many international organizations to carry out farm animal welfare activities, and organized local governments, research institutes and industry leading enterprises to establish animal welfare demonstration farms in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Hebei and Inner Mongolia to promote animal welfare technology. In line with the actual farming conditions, we had developed a number of farm animal welfare group standards, actively carry out academic research activities on animal welfare, and jointly tackle technical problems of animal welfare with well-known universities and enterprises at home and abroad.
World Conference on Farm Animal Welfare had been held in China for three consecutive years. It had gradually become an important window for the world to understand animal welfare progress in China. Mr. Ma Youxiang pointed out that we held World Conference on Farm Animal Welfare in China, which was to convey the voice of China to the international community, introduce China's programs and new options for the world's farm animal welfare protection, and make due contributions for the sustainable development of the world's animal husbandry. In the next, we would align with the objective requirements of economic and social development and vigorously promote work on animal welfare in China. We would continue to strengthen cooperation and exchanges and strengthen research on animal welfare. We would thoroughly research about the connotation and extension of animal welfare concepts based on China's national conditions, explore the direction and focus of China's animal welfare development, form an interactive mechanism composing of research institutes, think tanks, governments, and enterprises, actively build an international cooperation platform, play the bridging and connecting role of "North-South dialogue", and continue to promote global animal welfare development on the basis of “Farm Animal Welfare – Beijing Consensus”. At the same time, we would actively use the “Belt and Road” platform to promote the global implementation of animal welfare and other green development concepts, and contribute to the overall promotion of human well-being.
