three of us became really good friends.” He was also successful
in ensuring other countries beyond the three major global
regions of the U.S., Europe and Australia were represented on
the WRO executive board, such as Mexico and New Zealand.
Niels Leth Nielsen, Denmark, 2007-2009
Nielsen was also involved in WRO’s early formation.
“It was necessary to form a global organization, mainly due
to the BSE crisis, if our industry was able to be in contact with
United Nation organizations, such as WHO and OIE,” he states.
“It was important to update these groups about rendering and
the importance of our industry.”
The European feed ban due to BSE was constantly on the
agenda during Nielsen’s term, resulting in conversations to
influence the UN organizations. “WRO was, in this respect, an
important body for renderers worldwide to share information
and discuss various issues,” he notes.
Nielsen is enjoying retirement after 46 years in the
rendering business. “I often gratefully think back on these events
various global conferences that gave me the opportunity
to meet wonderful people from throughout the rendering
industry,” Nielsen says. “It was an extraordinary honor for me to
be introduced as president of WRO by my very good friend, the
late Doug Anderson. With his Scandinavian roots, Doug often
visited Denmark and my company and we enjoyed each other’s
company every time we met, whether in the United States, in
Denmark, or at EFPRA and ARA events.” Anderson served as
WRO president from 2005-2007 and passed away shortly after
his term ended.
Alan von Tunzelman, New Zealand, 2009-2011
Having served as president of the New Zealand renderers
group, Tunzelman stepped into the role of WRO president
after the retirement of WRO vice president Trevor Arnold,
another New Zealand renderer, who was to follow Nielsen.
BSE continued to cause real issues with some international
regulators proposing that rendered products be banned as
feed ingredients. Renderers in New Zealand and Australia felt
this was unnecessary as the two countries were declared BSE-free
by OIE. At the same time, several prominent New Zealand
scientists were working with international bodies dealing with
this issue. A global feed ban was not universally accepted and
it took some convincing to squelch the proposal.
At the same time, NRA’s Swisher and Dr. Sergio Nates
were working with the Global Aquaculture Alliance seeking
acceptance of ovine and bovine meat and bone meal as a
feed ingredient for aquaculture. Tunzelman attended two
aquaculture conferences promoting the global rendering
Industry and use of its products to fill the gap created by
decreasing supplies of fish meal and a rapidly increasing demand
for suitable replacement feed ingredients.
Tunzelman said he was proud to represent a small country
with a sophisticated rendering industry that demonstrates
appropriate rules and regulations should be as simple and sensible
as possible. He also gave credit to the leaders who followed him
by bringing their own distinctive flavor to improve WRO.
David Kaluzny, U.S., 2011-2013
The emphasis during Kaluzny’s term as WRO president was
to keep rendering and rendered products front and center as
safe, nutritious and cost-effective feed ingredients in animal
agriculture. WRO was able to hold half-day seminars at the
Global Feed and Food Congress featuring Fats and Proteins
Research Foundation researchers touting animal by-products
in feeds with documented studies. In addition, experts in
biosecurity highlighted the safety of meat and bone meal,
poultry meal, animal fats and feather meal. This same message
was carried to the Global Aquaculture Alliance meetings and
the World Meat Congress.
In addition, active discussions with OIE were initiated with
the intent of gaining recognition from the organization and a
“seat at the table.” This was accomplished years later allowing
the WRO president to address the body personally explaining
rendering and WRO. Kaluzny also strove to get WRO’s message
out around the world at every opportunity, realizing “if one is not
at the table, you will be on the menu.” Though this undertaking
was expensive for such a young organization, it served the
worldwide rendering industry well in the long run.
“It also caused one of my daughters to confide in her
classmates she thought her father was a secret agent as he
traveled to so many continents in the name of rendering,”
Kaluzny says.
Stephen Woodgate, U.K., 2013-2015
Woodgate represented Europe on the WRO Scientific
Advisory Committee and executive team for over 10 years. He
believes one of the key strengths of WRO was that succession
planning, devised by WRO founders Langenhorst and Ward,
ensured a high level of continuity and teamwork. Woodgate
says his term as president was basically a continuum between
his predecessors and those who followed him.
Woodgate’s main challenge was how to maintain WRO
momentum after the initial BSE crisis had passed. “Certainly, two
of the rendering industry ‘giants,’ literally — Bennett and Nielsen
— inspired and encouraged me during this period,” he says.
One initiative was to ensure that communication with
members increased. Woodgate developed a quarterly
newsletter called World Renderers Outlook that previewed
upcoming events and signposted future activities for members.
In addition, the WRO “Guideline for hygienic rendering” and
“Model HACCP plan for rendering” were completed during
his term. He acknowledged his good friend and colleague Bill
Spooncer for drafting both documents using his great knowledge
and experience of improving the biosecurity status of rendered
products.
The increased recognition of WRO as a key member of a
global view of animal health was enhanced by a memorandum
of understanding between WRO and OIE during Woodgate’s
term. Regular contact with OIE was initiated and he addressed
the 83rd World Assembly in Paris in 2015 to introduce WRO and
explain its role within animal agriculture to OIE members.
Tim Juzefowicz, Australia, 2015-2017
Juzefowicz recognized Woodgate as an exceptional role
model and leader who set a high standard after introducing
rendering onto the world stage. “Steve was a hard act to
follow,” he says. Experiencing and learning about WRO activities
gradually came from Juzefowicz’s years of serving on the
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