[Dublin, IRELAND] – Uppermost in the mind of consumers in this age of ecology are the safety of the food chain, from farm to fork, and its environmental impact.  Global agriculture is in the spotlight as rarely before.  By rethinking technology and business practices, the nutrition industry stands before a formidable opportunity – that of leading by example in forging the greener road ahead.

Embracing this challenge, animal nutrition company Alltech recently announced that its 24th International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium, the world’s leading nutrition conference, would debate the question, ‘Can we be remembered as the Greenest Generation?’

In an exciting keynote address at the Symposium, in Lexington, Kentucky, April 20-23, David Byrne, former European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection and a non-executive director at Alltech, will argue that traceability is a green brand, the cornerstone of both consumer and environmental protection.

Byrne is a recognised expert in consumer confidence and sanitary regulation.  During his time as Commissioner, he was instrumental in the establishment of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC).

"Traceability permeates every step of the feed and food chain, every ingredient, every formula and every management choice. Traceability provides accountability and builds reputations.

Quality assurance, in the guise of the Alltech Quality System, permeates every step of Alltech product research, development and delivery," said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech.

"David Byrne’s recent appointment as a non-executive director at Alltech underscores our position as a leader in both domains. It’s a perfect fit. We are naturally delighted that such an eminent authority should accept to address the Alltech 2008 International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium, reflecting the importance of traceability in securing the nutrition industry’s environmental credentials, the key to future success."

Alltech’s Symposium is an exciting time to share knowledge and gain new insights into the nutrition industry. It’s an opportunity too for individuals throughout agribusiness to come together and discuss pertinent issues such as traceability, supply variability and constraint, and using new technologies to reduce the impact of agriculture on the environment.

Alltech’s mission is to improve animal health and performance by adding nutritional value to animal feed and, through this, enhance the performance of the animal and increase animal production. Since it was founded over 27 years ago, the company has developed a strong regional presence throughout the world with 1,900 employees and a presence in 113 countries. For more information, visit www.alltech.com.

Alltech is the proud sponsor of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010™ to be held in Kentucky, USA.

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