DES MOINES, IOWA — More than half of U.S. consumers have made some modest changes in their purchasing decisions to be more sustainable, according to the Global Sustainability Study 2021.1

Today, the National Pork Board (NPB) shared more about its industry’s aspiration to produce a leading sustainable protein choice, with an announcement of goals and targets and its first official U.S. Pork Industry Sustainability Report.

Sustainability Goals Developed By Pork Producers

The goals and report are part of the NPB’s sustainability efforts, which are led by producers and funded by their Pork Checkoff dollars in collaboration with the National Pork Producers Council.

Closely aligned with 13 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the goals were developed through a producer-led multi-year process, which considered customer needs and expectations.

They build on the industry’s established We Care® ethical principles: animal well-being, environmental stewardship, people and employees, communities, public health and food safety.

We Care Principles, Goals and Targets

Animal Well-being

PRINCIPLE
We are committed to the highest level of care and well-being for the pigs we raise.

GOAL
We are committed to end-to-end certification that is fully transparent and uses the following programs to demonstrate compliance:

PQA Plus worker certifications
TQA worker certifications
PQA Plus Site Assessments
Common Swine Industry Audit

TARGET

  • Percentage of pigs reported produced per year at a location that is compliant with the end-to-end certification program.

People

PRINCIPLE
We are committed to providing meaningful, dignified work for the people who choose to dedicate their careers to raising the food we eat.

GOALS
We are committed to ensuring all our caregivers have knowledge and skills to thrive and provide quality care while being safe in their jobs. We will:

  • Provide access to professional growth and appropriate training opportunities to all our caregivers by equipping them to demonstrate leadership at each stage of their career.
  • Support multi-factored diversity within our farms and the communities in which we raise pigs.

TARGETS

  • Percentage of pigs reported produced at a location where employees have received specific animal-care training.
  • Percentage of pigs reported produced at a location where animal well-being training is verified by caregiver competency.
  • Percentage of pigs reported produced at a location where employees were provided training and/or leadership opportunities in addition to PQA Plus.
  • Percentage of pigs reported produced at a location where there is a formal, written Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy for their business.

Food Safety

PRINCIPLE
We are committed to producing the safest food in the world.

GOAL
By 2030, 100% of fresh pork products can be traced through the supply chain using technology that allows the public to easily access information on how pork was raised and produced.

TARGET

  • Percentage of fresh pork produced per year that can be traced from retail or foodservice location back to the packing plant.

Public Health

PRINCIPLE
We are committed to producing the highest quality food possible while increasing the enjoyment of pork and the well-being of people around the world.

GOAL
We are committed to supporting public health and the well-being of the pigs under our care using best practices.

TARGETS

  • Percentage of pigs reported produced at a location where there is documented veterinary oversight of animal health.
  • Percentage of pigs reported produced from farms that have documented compliance with the proper use of medications.

Communities

PRINCIPLE
We are committed to growing and supporting strong communities for today and tomorrow.

GOALS
We are committed to driving sustainable, equitable development and prosperity in our communities by generating desirable jobs, growing rural economies, and helping meet community needs. We will:

  • Support the rural leaders of tomorrow by awarding annual scholarships.
  • Help feed the hungry in our communities by expanding our national giving campaign by 100% by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.
  • Double volunteerism in our communities by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.

TARGETS

  • Number of jobs, apprenticeships, externships or internships per year.
  • Total farmer and employee charitable contributions per year.
  • Number of volunteer hours.
  • Percentage of pigs reported produced at a location where there is a formal, written Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy for their business.
  • Number of scholarships and total dollar amount awarded annually.

Environment

PRINCIPLE
We are committed to safeguarding and nurturing natural resources for now and future generations.

GOALS
We are committed to protecting our planet’s natural resources – water, soil and air – and realize the impact of GHGs on the environment. We will:

  • Continuously improve water-use efficiency through advanced agriculture practices, aggressive implementation of on-farm water-use targets and best management practices.
  • Use agriculture practices that improve soil, land, and biodiversity, while restoring and protecting natural habitats to further decrease our footprint from a 2015 baseline.
  • Contribute to improving the quality of surrounding water bodies through agriculture practices, including reducing nutrient run-off, implementing nutrient management plans, managing manure and protecting riparian areas located on farms.
  • By 2030, reduce GHG emissions by 40% from a 2015 baseline.

TARGETS

  • Water used per pig recorded, measured by in-barn water use.
  • Percentage of pigs reported produced at locations where nutrient application plans are being implemented.
  • Area of land used for pork production per year.
  • Area of land under conservation practices per year.
  • Area of land protected or restored including riparian areas.
  • Tons of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) equivalent per pound of pork.

Producer-Driven Metrics Quantify Progress

In addition to sharing the goals, the report also outlines its producer-driven metrics approach, which quantifies progress through real, farm-level data. Each goal has specific reporting metrics and mechanisms in place to help individual farms – and in turn, the entire industry – measure and report progress.

“The producers involved in this effort wanted the industry’s goals to align with sustainability efforts globally while also making sure the approaches to accomplish them were as diverse as the 60,000-plus farms in our industry. As a result, these goals are truly measurable and also meaningful on a global and local scale,” said Sara Crawford, Ph.D., vice president of sustainability for NPB.

Individual Pork Cares Farm Impact Reports Measure Improvement

A key component to the industry’s established metrics infrastructure is the Pork Cares Farm Impact Reports, which provide free, farm-level data to help pork producers establish an individual baseline for social, environmental, and economic sustainability.  The industry is focused on doubling the number of farms participating in the reports in the next 12 months.

“We need benchmarks to better track and monitor progress, and also to make better data-driven decisions for the future of pork production,” said Dale Stevermer, Minnesota pig farmer and participant in the goals and targets development. “The Pork Cares Farm Impact Reports provide targets that can be aggregated to track progress at the industry level, while also giving farmers individualized data that helps them make better decisions for the future of pork production.”

Report Builds On Pork Industry’s Long-Standing Commitment to Progress

While the current goals and targets were recently finalized and reported, the industry’s work in this space is long-standing. The We Care Ethical Principles were established in 2007, and the new goals build on past progress, which includes using 75% less land, 25% less water and 7% percent less energy per pound of pork compared to 60 years ago.2

Crawford says past progress represents the industry’s commitment to looking forward.

“These goals and this report are new, but the commitment to working toward new and better solutions is continual. Pork Cares Farm Impact Reports and access to more data positions the industry better than ever to meet current food production needs while protecting future generations’ abilities to do the same.”

Read the full U.S. Pork Industry Sustainability Report.

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Sources:

1 Recent Study Reveals More Than a Third of Global Consumers Are Willing to Pay More for Sustainability as Demand Grows for Environmentally-Friendly Alternatives | Business Wire

2 Retrospective Analysis of US Pork Production from 1960 to 2015 Using LCA

The National Pork Board has responsibility for Pork Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in consumer education and marketing, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, science and technology, swine health, pork safety, and environmental management and sustainability. For the past half century, the U.S. pork industry has delivered on its commitment to sustainable production and has made significant strides in reducing the environmental impact of pig farming. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.35 for each $100 value of hogs sold. Importers of pork products contribute a like amount, based on a formula. For information on Checkoff-funded programs, pork producers can call the Pork Checkoff Service Center at (800) 456-7675 or visit porkcheckoff.org.