FAO, IFIF strengthen global collaboration on feed safety and innovation

ITALY – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) have reaffirmed their joint commitment to sustainable livestock transformation through innovation and stronger public–private collaboration, following the successful conclusion of the 2025 Global Forum for Animal Feed and Feed Regulators. 

The two-day forum, held from October 2–3, 2025, in Rome, culminated in the 18th International Feed Regulators Meeting (IFRM), which drew a diverse global audience of policymakers, scientists, industry experts, and development partners.

The event brought together national and regional feed authorities, producer organizations, research institutions, and civil society representatives to exchange experiences and explore the evolving role of the feed sector in delivering safer, more sustainable food systems. 

The forum’s central theme revolved around innovation, regulatory convergence, and the shared responsibility of the public and private sectors to drive transformation across livestock value chains.

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, IFIF Chair Constance Cullman, and the Ministers of Nigeria and Uganda officially opened the event, underscoring the feed sector’s pivotal contribution to global food security. 

“The success of the Forum and the IFRM is a proof that FAO’s efforts to facilitate dialogue between the public and private sector are worthwhile,” said Daniela Battaglia, FAO’s Livestock Production Officer. 

“Working together across all levels is essential to improve human, animal, and environmental health.”

The opening session provided a comprehensive global outlook on feed production and trade, complemented by national perspectives from Nigeria, Uganda, the United States, and Uruguay. 

FAO’s Assistant Director-General, Thanawat Tiensin, outlined ongoing organizational support for national feed programmes and policies, while a high-level panel featuring the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), the International Finance Corporation, and other international bodies discussed collaborative strategies for future feed and livestock resilience.

Standards, policies and legislation 

The second day’s IFRM served as a focal point for regulators and industry leaders to engage directly on standards, policies, and feed legislation. 

Country case studies from Namibia, Cambodia, and Brazil illustrated how Codex Alimentarius requirements are being applied to national frameworks, highlighting progress toward harmonized feed safety standards. 

Delegates collectively agreed that maintaining continuous dialogue between regulators and the private sector remains crucial to ensuring food safety, fostering innovation, and building global capacity.

Constance Cullman emphasized the achievements of the long-standing FAO–IFIF collaboration. 

“The Global Feed Forum and the International Feed Regulators Meeting are remarkable examples of what can be achieved when regulators, scientists, industry, and international organizations come together,” she said. 

“Over the past 20 years, our partnership with FAO has delivered tangible results; from voluntary guidelines on feed ingredient assessment through ICCF to science-based capacity-building projects on feed safety.”

Over two days, discussions spanned a wide range of scientific, regulatory, and policy issues. Delegates examined advances in sustainable feed innovation, such as insect production, safe food waste valorization, and electronic labelling systems. 

Updates from the Codex Secretariat and the International Cooperation for Convergence of Technical Requirements for the Assessment of Feed Ingredients (ICCF) showcased continued efforts toward harmonized international feed standards.

The forum also spotlighted FAO’s initiatives to strengthen national feed policies and reduce antimicrobial use through its RENOFARM programme, while World Café sessions developed proposals for new FAO Reference Centres focusing on feed safety, quality, and One Health. 

Participants further emphasized the importance of circular feed systems and the safe use of local feed resources, ranging from forages to agro-industrial by-products, to build resilience in livestock production.

As the 2025 Forum concluded, participants reaffirmed their commitment to advancing safe, sustainable, and innovative feed systems worldwide, anchored in science, collaboration, and the shared vision of resilient agrifood systems that can meet the growing global demand for animal protein.

Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.