WASHINGTON – Sessions on animal welfare and animal rights activism will be the focus of sessions at the 2008 Annual Meat Conference in Nashville, organizers said Tuesday.

The American Meat Institute said that the first session, “Animal Welfare and Activism: What You Need to Know,” will feature speaker J. Philip Lobo, Animal Agriculture Alliance. Lobo will explore the impact and missions of key animal welfare and animal rights groups. The session is on March 10 at 9 a.m.

In “Kids These Days … Recruiting and Retaining Service-Oriented Associates,” speaker Andrea Fredrickson, vice president of operations, American Institute of Management, Inc., will address the challenges of retaining service-focused associates in a changing labor pool. The AMI said the session is on March 10 at 2:45 p.m.

The Annual Meat Conference is co-sponsored by the AMI and the Food Marketing Institute. Associate sponsors include the American Lamb Board, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Chicken Council, National Pork Board and the National Turkey Federation. The conference is March 9 – 11, 2008.