Chairs:	A. Dijkhuizen, Wagingen University (UK) H.-W. Windhorst, Institute for Spatial Analysis and Planning in Areas of Intensive Agriculture (FRG)
Date:	June 22-23, 2000
Location:	ISPA, University of Vechta

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Final Statement The production of food is subject to constant change, and higher and higher demands are being made on products and the production processes. This development is driven by consumer expectations of food safety, animal welfare and the environment, and progress in biotechnology and genetics. Food safety and quality assurance will be the decisive factors for the processing industry. For product safety and quality assurance, the indispensable elements of a concept of sustainable animal production will be future measures for improving food safety before processing and methods for improving quality during primary production. As with animal welfare and environmental concerns, these aspects will also play a role in animal production worldwide. Efforts to set up programs of quality assurance and product safety at every point in the chain of production should be centered on the development of systems able to meet these goals. In order to ultimately attain this goal it is reasonable to formulate a working model, implement and evaluate it and then extend it step by step, in order to determine all parameters necessary to attain an effective system of food safety and quality assurance.