WASHINGTON, Nov. 11,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Interamerican Institute for
Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) convened its first-ever
"Sustainable Agriculture in the Americas" pavilion at the UN
Climate Summit (COP27) and partnered
with the Protein PACT and other stakeholders to convene a total of
9 events focused on animal agriculture's key role in sustainability
solutions.
The Protein PACT events included a November 9 panel on sustainable livestock across
regions and production systems (see IICA press release here),
National Pork Board Interim Vice President of Sustainability
Ashley McDonald shared U.S. pork's
commitments to ethical principles, best practices, and documenting
proof. The Pork Board and Pork Checkoff pioneered on-farm
sustainability reports, which have been awarded $20 million in USDA Climate-Smart Commodities
grant funding to expand measurement and implementation of
climate-smart practices.
Meat Institute Chief Strategy Officer Eric Mittenthal moderated a November 10 panel featuring scientific evidence
on the essential dietary contributions of animal-source foods and
optimizing animal agriculture's environmental impact.
The Meat Institute's first-ever continuous improvement data
report released last week found that among companies accounting for
an estimated 90% of meat sold in the
United States, 81% of reporting facilities are covered by
company-wide commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The
Meat Institute aims for 100% of members to have delivered emissions
reduction targets approved by the Science-Based Targets Initiative
by 2030.
Speaking on the November 10 panel,
Dr. Adegbola Adesogan, Director of
the University of Florida Food Systems
Institute commented:
"Most common measures of environmental impact
ignore nutrient-density - the contribution of foods to achieving
recommended intakes of critical nutrients. Sustainability solutions
must ensure sustainable production of animal-source foods, which
are 'brain foods' for the children our future depends on.
"Eating meat, dairy, and eggs improves
children's cognition and growth, and raising animals for food
provides livelihoods and is a cornerstone of many cultures,
particularly in the Global South."
Dr. Manual Otero, Director
General of IICA, welcomed the Protein PACT's partnership and
said:
"The livestock sector is moving at full tilt
towards sustainability in the Americas and around the world and
continues to play a central and invaluable role in global food
security. IICA and its member states will continue to champion at
COP27 and future COPs the critical
role of sustainable agriculture, including livestock production, in
the Americas."
About North American Meat Institute: The Meat Institute
is the United States' oldest and
largest trade association representing packers and processors of
beef, pork, lamb, veal, turkey, and processed meat products. NAMI
members include over 350 meat packing and processing companies, the
majority of which have fewer than 100 employees, and account for
over 95 percent of the United
States' output of meat and 70 percent of turkey
production.
About the Protein PACT: The Protein PACT unites partners
across animal protein to accelerate the entire sector's progress
toward global sustainable development goals for healthy people,
healthy animals, healthy communities, and a healthy environment.
Protein PACT partners are establishing transparent baselines and
benchmarks, setting ambitious targets for continuous improvement,
collecting data to verify and transparently report on progress, and
launching comprehensive communications about animal protein's
unique place in healthy diets and sustainable food systems. To
learn more, visit www.TheProteinPACT.org.
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content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meat-institute-partners-with-iica-to-recognizing-animal-proteins-critical-role-ahead-of-un-climate-summit-agriculture-day-301675770.html
SOURCE North American Meat Institute
