About IFIF

The Federation's Background

André Namur, the former Secretary General of the European Feed Industry Federation along with Danny Blankenship the European Director of the American Soybean Association in Brussels and Roger Gilbert, who was then the European Editor of Feed International, developed the concept of an international organisation representing the feed industry globally over a five-year period ending in the setting up of Articles of Association in Luxembourg in 1987.

André Namur, who passed away in February, 2004, was its first secretary. He was best known for his ability to manage the political scene surround the feed industry and helped bring feed-related issues to the forefront of the European political agenda.

Everyone André came into contact with through his work felt his enthusiasm and support for the feed industry. He worked with the media, and in particular writing for Feed International, to show that feed-related issues crossed national borders.

André retired from FEFAC in 1995 shortly after an unfortunate accident which left him in a coma for several weeks. But for this accident - from which he fully recovered - André may have made a greater contribution to the European and international feed scenes. Roger Gilbert took up the position of Secretary General in 1999.

It was André Namur's foresight, and hard work, that led to the concept and the formation of an international feed federation among core feed industry leaders. He wanted to see the benefits that he had help accrue for the European feed industry and its associations pass to other associations in other countries.

“If there is one person who is the figurehead of an international feed industry it is André Namur. He is our founding father!,” says Mr Gilbert.

IFIF's first President from 1987-1996 was Brian Rutherford,, past-President of the Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA), past-President of United Kingdom Agricultural Supply Trade Association (UKASTA) and the ...

IFIF's second President from 1996-2002 was Henk van de Bunt of Victam International.

Our third president was Fred Stephens who had 30 years experience in animal agriculture and was the Vice-president of Feed Products for Potash Corporation. Fred served two terms from 2002 to 2008 and brought about significant change to the way the organisation was run and its relationship with global groups such as FAO.

IFIF's current Chairman (the IFIF electing to replace the position of President with Chairman in 2008) is Dave Cieslak of Cargill Animal Nutrition from Minneapolis Minnesota in the USA. He can be contacted on Tel: +1 952 9841824.