During a time where “sustainability” has never been more on the forefront of leaders’ minds, a coalition of agriculture organizations has unveiled an initiative to tackle sustainable development in animal protein sectors.
The coalition, the Protein PACT for the People, Animals and Climate of Tomorrow, is made up of twelve groups who represent producers in the meat, poultry, dairy and animal feed sectors. The pact has been submitted to the United Nations Food Systems Summit, which takes place July 27 in Rome, Italy.
The groups include the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), the National Pork Producers Council, the National Pork Board, U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, U.S. Meat Export Federation, Beef Alliance, Animal Agriculture Alliance, Elanco, Dairy Management Inc., National Corn Growers Associations, IFeeder, and the United Soybean Board.
The Protein PACT’s mission is to “strengthen animal protein’s contributions to healthy people, healthy animals, healthy communities and a healthy environment.” As part of the pact’s framework, the groups will establish baselines and benchmarks to make progress that aligns with global goals for sustainability.
“Animal protein is at the center of healthy diets, and our commitments to economic, social, and environmental sustainability also place us clearly at the center of solutions for a healthy future,” said NAMI President and CEO Julie Anna Potts in a statement.
Along with the debut of the Protein PACT, NAMI also released its own draft sustainability framework. The organization is now soliciting comments from the public. To submit input over both NAMI’s specific draft and the Protein PACT, visit theproteinpact.org and take the survey at the bottom of the webpage.
NAMI and its partners have developed five areas to focus their efforts on:
• Provide humane care and raise healthy animals;
• Support a diverse workforce and safe workplaces;
• Produce safe products without exception;
• Provide a variety of high-quality proteins; and
• Optimize contributions to healthy land, air and water.
“Achieving these goals requires action by everyone from the farmers who raise animals to the families who prepare safe meals, and we are committed to doing our part,” the groups said.
NAMI plans to focus on where the organization has the most impact: the packing and processing sector. Following public feedback, NAMI will set targets for members to publicly report commitments and delivers progress in all five focus areas by 2030. Members will report on specific metrics that include indicators such as animal handling, greenhouse gas emissions, food safety programs, and labor and human rights.
The metrics will be combined into a sector-wide data set that will assess the baseline and help set targets for the future.
The Protein PACT is partially funded by U.S. farmers and ranchers, including support from the pork, dairy, and soybean checkoffs, according to NAMI. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
