The president of the International Meat Secretariat Paddy Moore said the industry is battling against increases in fuel and feed costs and is now seeing companies grow in size and not just becoming large but international.

He said that international trade n meat and meat products is growing and is expected to grow from 22 million tonnes to 30 million tonnes by 2017.

He added that the demand for agricultural products is expected to increase by 50 per cent by 200 with food demand rising by between 10 and 15 per cent annually.

He warned of the threats from diminishing land resources to provide food and the new demands being placed on the industry through the political need to provide biofuels.

He said that to meet the new demands the industry had to improve farming methods, farming technology and genetics.

He added that the industry also had to take action on issues such as animal welfare and also meeting consumer demands.

"The consumer is becoming more and more discerning and the consumer is looking for value for money," he said.

The congress, which runs in Cape Town until Wednesday 10 September, has attracted more than 500 delegates from 38 countries from the meat industry around the world.