Taurus International n. 1 / 2004
4th World Congress of Italian Beef Cattle Breeds
Italy, and Umbria in particular, will have the
honour of playing host to the Fourth World Congress of Italian Beef
Cattle Breeds, which will be held in Gubbio (Perugia) from 29 April
through 1 May 2005. The last edition organized in Italy was in 1994,
the year when the ANABIC organized in Perugia, in the renovated headquarters
of the Association, an event of great technical content and strong interest
that brought a considerable flow of visitors from both Italy and abroad.
The Italian scenario
In recent years, due to the BSE crisis which
brought consumers to be more careful in choosing beef products, the
autochthonous breeds Chianina, Marchigiana, Romagnola, Maremmana, and
Podolica have gone through an extremely favourable period, although
with the differences connected with the individual histories and specificities.
We would like to mention briefly: the significant increase in the numbers,
concerning all five breeds protected by the ANABIC, involving new breeding
provinces; the process of rationalization of the farm structures, which
led to a slow but constant increase in the average dimensions; the activity
of the Genetic Centres, which has shown over the years a clearly positive
trend in the productive performance of the five Italian breeds; the
development of the Consorzio Carni Bovine Italiane, seen in the sizable
increase in the number of member butcher shops and the relations with
the organized large-scale retail trade; the recent establishment of
the Consortium for the safeguard of the Protected Geographic Indication
(IGP) "Vitellone Bianco dell'Appennino Centrale" (White Bullock of the
Central Apennine), with the duty to monitor and safeguard the image
of that production.
It is an extremely positive context that is an important basis for the
best success of the event.
International relations
Starting in 1956, the year of the first export
of Italian cattle to Brazil, many efforts have been made to spread and
promote the Italian breeds abroad. Today these breeds are rightly defined
cosmopolitan, thanks to their presence in many countries on various
continents, connected with the production characteristics and capacity
to adapt to the different grazing systems and environmental situations.
In many foreign countries, the breeders have formed local breed associations,
which in 1995 came together in the Italian Beef Cattle International
Association.
In order to meet specifically and adequately the requests of the foreign
operators, the ANABIC also set up, in 1993, "Italiana Genetica e Servizi
s.r.l.", a company in charge of foreign relations, the implementation
of semen, embryo and breeding animal exports, and technical assistance
to farms.
In recent years ANABIC, in collaboration with I.G.S., has developed
contacts with numerous foreign operators, participated in various international
events, and carried on trade relations with Brazil, United States, Mexico,
South Africa, Australia, Holland, Germany, England, and Sweden. In consideration
of the lively interest encountered, a significant participation of delegations
from many foreign countries is expected.
The programme
The Congress event, the organization of which
the ANABIC shares with the Ministry for Agricultural Policies, is scheduled
to take place from 29 April through 1 May 2005 at the prestigious Park
Hotel "Ai Cappuccini" in Gubbio (Perugia), a beautifully restored 17th-century
monastery situated in a central but tranquil position in the splendid
Umbrian town, the testimony of a luminous, refined, and cultured Middle
Ages.
The objective is to create an important occasion for discussion, stimulating
reflection and the exchange of experiences among all those interested
in knowledge about and the breeding of the white breeds.
During the Congress, ample time will be devoted to the description of
the Italian stock-raising reality, the current situation of the breeding
of the autochthonous breeds, and the genetic improvement activity carried
on by the ANABIC. The situation and development prospects of the Italian
breeds throughout the world will be illustrated, leaving plenty of room
for contributions by the foreign breed associations.
The scientific sessions will be devoted to the subjects of selection
and genetic engineering, production and feeding techniques, meat quality,
and the systems for the enhancement and certification of productions.
Also planned are the meeting of the Italian Beef Cattle International
Association, an encounter among the technicians of the various breed
associations, a visit to the ANABIC headquarters, and the presentation
of prized breeding animals. On the congress premises will be set up
institutional stands of the organizations operating in the sector, local
craft products and typical food products, as well as photography shows
focusing on the autochthonous breeds. The choice of Gubbio and the Park
Hotel "Ai Cappuccini" is also connected with the high quality of restaurants
throughout the town, and in the hotel itself, which will make it possible
to organize, during the congress, refined tastings of dishes based on
the prized Italian meats carrying the Protected Geographic Indication
"Vitellone Bianco dell'Appennino Centrale" mark.
Another attraction is the tourism and social programme, which includes
guided tours in the picturesque towns of Perugia, Gubbio and Assisi,
entertainment, and music. At the end of the congress will be organized,
for those interested, livestock-raising tours in the main breeding provinces
of the various breeds, with visits to the farms, the fattening centres,
the slaughterhouses, the artificial insemination centres, and the butcher
shops belonging to the CCBI and the IGP consortium.
The detailed programme of the Congress event and all the updates on
its organization will be published in the forthcoming issues of "Taurus".