Today, the Animal Agriculture Alliance released its updated Sustainability Impact Report in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The report highlights how the animal agriculture industry shares the same values as today’s consumer with its efforts supporting environmental stewardship, animal care, responsible antibiotic use, food safety, and nutrition. To access the report, visit the Animal Agriculture Alliance sustainability website.
To those in agriculture, sustainability means using natural resources efficiently; caring for the land, air, water, and wildlife. The 33-page Sustainability Impact Report covers nine sectors of animal agriculture: dairy, beef, veal, pork, chicken, turkey, egg, sheep, and aquaculture. “As the world celebrates Earth Day, we want to shine a light on the farmers and ranchers who treat every day like Earth Day,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “The animal agriculture community is constantly evolving and looking for innovative ways to improve the environmental sustainably of farming and ranching.”
The report contains valuable insights into animal agriculture’s dedication to continuous improvement, including the following environmental stewardship highlights:
- According to the Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture accounts for a total of 9 percent of U.S. GHG emissions while livestock production is only 3.9 percent.
- Dairy farmers decreased their carbon footprint by 63 percent from 1944 to 2007.
- Since 1977, cattle ranchers have reduced their carbon footprint by 16 percent.
- Pig farmers decreased their carbon footprint by 7.7 percent and their water use by 25.1 percent from 1960 to 2015.
- The egg industry reduced its carbon footprint by 71 percent and its water use by 32 percent since 1960.
- Producing the same amount of chicken today as 1965 has 50 percent less impact on the environment.
In addition to the updated report, the Alliance has additional sustainability resources available within its website and Resource Center, including links to new research, social media images and infographics.
