The sustainable development manager with Manitoba Pork Council says a United Nations initiative aimed at improving the environmental sustainability of global livestock production is gaining widespread support.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization launched an initiative about two years ago to develop voluntary guidelines aimed at improving the environmental sustainability of global livestock production while supporting livelihoods, long term food security and economic development.
Mike Teillet, the Sustainable Development Manager with Manitoba Pork Council, says the main areas of focus include the introduction of new livestock production techniques and technologies to less efficient regions, improved grassland management in over grazed regions and the recovery of energy and nutrients from manure.
We are seeing participation from somewhere around 35 to 40 countries and in some of these countries they have serious issues with livestock production.
The anticipation is that we’re going to see, as everyone I’m sure in the audience is aware, we’re looking at a significant increase in population.
By 2050 they’re looking at at least nine billion people and they estimate that there will be as much as 100 percent increase in livestock production over that period of time which means essentially a doubling of livestock production.
The concern is that there have been a number of areas in the world where there’s already issues related to livestock so the concern is that we ensure that livestock production is and remains sustainable.
Teillet notes the initiative’s main focus has been cattle, swine and poultry because those species account for most of the world’s livestock production but all species of livestock are being considered.
