Summary

On the 5th of May 79th IWTO 2010 Congress, held in Paris, France, closed its doors. The Congress under the theme "Wool – Change to a Healthier and Safer Environment" attracted almost 300 delegates from 23 countries. A broad range of prominent speakers made the Congress a valuable experience, showing a broad spectrum on the current developments of the various stages of the wool industry.

As highlights, the extraordinary possibilities and variations for creative and innovative use of wool have been quoted during the Round Table Discussion with the internationally known architects Louis Becker (Henning Larsen Architects A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark) and Heinz Richardson (Jestico Whiles Architects, London, UK). The session was moderated by Dietmar Danner, Chief Editor and CEO of the famous AIT-Architects Magazine.

The unique ambience and high level in animal welfare within the wool industry has been highlighted by speakers at the Animal & Environment Session. Andrea Gavinelli from the EU Commission (Animal Welfare Unit), Daniela Battaglia from Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Michael C. Appleby (WSPA) have referred to the positive efforts of the wool industry in regard to animal welfare. It was agreed to cooperate in future to assure “best practices” within the world wide wool industry for the welfare of the animals.

At the Assembly, Günther Beier has been re-elected for another term as IWTO President. As new IWTO Vice President, Peter Ackroyd (UK) was elected, replacing Osman Kilic (Turkey) whose term ended at the Congress.

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