SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Dr. Barry O’Neil of New Zealand, former president of the World Organization for Animal Health (O.I.E.), will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming annual meeting of the International Poultry Council (I.P.C.), which will be Oct. 29-30 at the Quay Grand Hotel in Sydney, N.S.W., Australia.

Dr. Peter Ben Embarek of the World Health Organization’s Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses and Foodborne Diseases, will also be among the speakers. Hosting the event is the Australian Chicken Meat Federation.

The four-year-old I.P.C., which includes more than 20 country members, is the only international organization dedicated to global poultry industry issues, according to a news release. Membership is open to poultry meat associations in individual countries; associate membership is available to individual poultry companies and allied businesses.

Since 2008 the O.I.E. granted formal recognition to the I.P.C. Mr. O’Neil’s address is significant, program organizers pointed out. Recognition is also pending with two other international organizations — the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Registration fee for the meeting is US$500, which includes lunches, a group dinner and refreshment breaks. Registration information is posted on the I.P.C.’s website, at

For more details, contact Executive Secretary George Winn at