This week, professionals and leaders of the livestock sector from all over America participated in the “Regional Seminar on Sustainable Livestock Production”. It was held for two days at the headquarters of the Argentine Rural Society (SRA), where they issued a document with “Principles and Declarations”, where it is proposed to “strengthen the image of the livestock sector as part of the solution to global warming and the reduction of greenhouse gases.”
In this regard, it was ratified again that the production of milk and meat is a way of dealing with global warming and climate change, and it is not the origin of the problem as many environmental and even vegan organizations maintain. The event was organized by members of the Federation of Rural Associations of Mercosur (FARM), the Pan American Dairy Federation (FEPALE), the United States Dairy Exporters Council (USDEC), and the United States Federation of Milk Producers. (NMPF). During it, they analyzed and debated how to strengthen the image of the livestock sector as part of the solution to global warming and the reduction of greenhouse gases.
Producers, leaders and world experts from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the United States attended. According to Edward Schwerter, president of FEPALE, “livestock is a sustainable, strategic and indispensable sector for society, committed to the production of irreplaceable food for human nutrition, contributing decisively to food security”; and added that “the dairy and livestock sector of the Americas offers solutions to mitigate greenhouse gases.”
For his part, Nicholas Pino, president of FARM and the Argentine Rural Society, assured that livestock producers face a “huge challenge posed by the world.” The leader invited “all the producers on this side of the world” to show how the sector works. “We know about the capacity of agricultural producers. We know how to do it”, he said and stressed that “livestock is social roots, economic and ecosystem development”.
One of the central moments of the event was the presentation of a document of “Principles and Declarations” of the livestock sector. It reflects the guidelines and the position of the Region in relation to the opportunities of the livestock sector and the trade of livestock products, and how they can contribute to sustainable food systems and food security.
The Secretary of Agriculture participated in the presentation of the document, Juan Jose Bahillo, who assured that “this region is recognized for the quality of its food, with sustainable livestock farming in environmental terms, for which we must work together and validate it with scientific data.” In addition, he recognized that “international obstacles hide commercial interests”, and that “the best way to face them is to come out of these discussions with scientific work and joint public-private work.”
It represents the position of livestock in the Americas that will be presented at the United Nations Summit on Food Systems and at COP 28, where these organizations will occupy a place in shaping the debate on the role of agriculture in a sustainable future. . “In order to change the false narrative of activists, we must work together with our public entities, giving them the information for intergovernmental conversations that reject false narratives of interested agendas against animal production,” he said. Jaime Castanedafrom the United States Dairy Producers Federation (NMPF).
In this sense, Nick Gardnerof the United States Dairy Exporters Council (USDEC), said: “Collaboration with our partners FARM and FEPALE is essential to build the international coalitions we need to advocate for the critical role livestock play in global food systems, promote international trade and demand the adoption of science-based policies”.
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