The International Meat Secretariat (IMS) will host its World Pork Conference in Qingdao, China, with the conference running from 10th-11th September 2026 at the Qingdao Haitian Hotel.
Hosted in partnership with the China Meat Association, the theme of the conference will be ‘Global Trade in Changing Times’. Senior industry leaders, policy makers and Government authorities from across the globe will be invited to come together to address issues facing the global pork sector.
Topics covered at the 8th iteration of the conference will include a look at consumption trends and sustainability intitiatives, as well as animal health, disease prevention and regionalisation approaches.
As the industry currently grapples with trade conditions affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the conference will look at the global pork market outlook and trade dynamics, discussing geopolitics and critical factors impacting the sector.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Christine Middlemiss, UK Chief Veterinary Officer
- Dr Phil Hadley MBE, secretary general at the International Meat Secretariat
- Rupert Claxton, meat and livestock director at Gira
- Thanawat Tiensin, deputy director general and chief veterinarian of the Food and Agriculture Organization
- Emilio Muro, chief veterinary officer for Spain
- Ricardo Santin, president of the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein
IMS said that further speakers from Mexico, Japan, China and the Philippines will highlight current market conditions in their own countries.
As part of the conference, delegates will have the opportunity to visit a multi-storey pig production facility, which is said to employ “next generation technology” to monitor animal performance.
The China International Meat Industry Expo (CIMIE) will immediately follow the conference, and delegates will be invited to attend.
More details, including registration, can be found here.
