Plenary Opening and Inspiration

The plenary opening session of the Global Shrimp Forum is designed to inspire you and get you on the tip of your chair for the rest of the event. We will begin by refreshing you on the mission of the Global Shrimp Forum Foundation and the projects and studies that we have funded with the financial surplus from last year's event. 

This year, global politics, macroeconomics, and US tariffs will be the first major topics touched on. Jan Lambregts, Rabobank's Chief Economist, returns to the stage to enlighten us about the most important developments that will impact the global economy and trade landscape. Then, Angel Rubio of Urner Barry and Robert deHaan of the National Fisheries Institute will join the stage to discuss the latest developments in the US tariff negotiations and their impact on supply and demand dynamics. 

We will then switch to the CEO of Skretting, who will present his views on the state of the industry amidst the political and economic turmoil we are all confronting. He will compare the state of the sector in Latin America and Asia, and zoom in on the differences in the innovation and sustainability agendas in both regions. He will be joined on stage by a major importer in the European market to discuss the importance of value-chain partnerships in driving change. 

The opening will close after Lucas de Groot of law firm TaylorWessing joins the stage to discuss how the industry can make Green Claims about the reduction of emissions in the shrimp value chain and about the sustainability of shrimp as a protein. He will reflect on several cases and discuss with the CEO of Skretting and other panelists what the industry needs to do to ensure that the promotion of shrimp as a healthy and sustainable protein does not result in a negative backlash.