18 minute read
Special report – Planet of Plenty
from Dairy Farmer October 2021
by AgriHQ
Mission to reduce wastage
By Samantha Tennent
Food is being wasted throughout the entire food chain and finding solutions are challenging but essential to ensure sustainability.
Food wastage accounts for around 8% of the greenhouse gases (GHG) that are produced in the world. To put it into context, if food wastage was a country, it would equate to the third-largest in terms of
GHG production.
Alltech president and chief executive
Dr Mark Lyons says reducing wastage could have a significant impact on feeding the planet and reducing the environmental impact. And this is one of the themes he highlights in his quest to a ‘Planet of Plenty’.
“Sustainability and reducing our environmental impacts is significant and we must counter the negative perceptions of agriculture with science,”
Lyons says.
“Collaboration is crucial and the heightened perception from consumers provides plenty of opportunities.”
Lyons remains optimistic about the future and believes in the significance of sustainability both locally and globally and the opportunities within agri-food.
“We’ve noted that one in five millennials would say that they would change their diet to improve the planet’s health, that’s a pretty staggering number,” he says.
“And that will be the next fad that comes along, people considering more than the calories they’re consuming.
They’ll be questioning what is the impact they’re having on the environment from what they eat.”
Lyons noted how food wastage occurs through the entire supply chain, from food production at the farm level, through transportation, through spoilage and in retail and restaurants, and it is happening in homes.
“How do we, as an entire food system, reduce that? What are the types of things that we can work together on, very much on a local level to reduce it?” he asks.
“I think that could have a huge impact on us feeding that global population.”
But one of his biggest concerns lies with fossil fuel and how agriculture production relies on it.
“We may have consumers who think they’re genuinely doing the right thing by changing their diet, but in reality, we’re actually not solving the climate issue, which is really being driven by fossil fuel usage,” he says.
“Our food production system is actually pretty efficient and it’s getting more and more efficient. If we all stopped eating meat, we wouldn’t stop climate change.”
He thinks the impact of agriculture on climate change is overemphasised and the industry can change and adapt quickly. What concerns him is how agriculture will be able to move away from fossil fuels in a way that will not disadvantage those who produce energy today.
“How do we make sure that innovation does rest in locations, perhaps, that are high energy producers today and create new jobs and create new opportunities?” he asks.
He sees sustainability as one of the trends that are changing the fastest. Companies across Europe and the United States are exploring ideas around messaging. There could come a time when carbon counting is on the menu alongside the calories of a meal.
“Chipotle here in the US is attempting to showcase the environmental impact of a burrito on their menu, it might not be totally dialed in yet, but they’re seeing that as a clever way to differentiate themselves from their competitors,” he says.
In Europe people are already changing what they are doing in relation to travel, where they are willing to travel and what jobs they will take because of the distance they will travel. And he sees the dietary aspect becoming part of decision-making.
“Diets have already been shifting, probably, away from beef more to pork or maybe poultry products over a number of years. Aquaculture is growing and maybe that’s going to play a bigger role as well, as people start to think about those things,” he says.
“That’s where we have to make sure, and I think our customers need to make sure they’re getting out and telling the story and are accurately able to demonstrate and provide the metrics of what the actual environmental impact is of their food.”
As every producer is slightly different, it will not be clear when looking at a steak in a restaurant what the environmental impact of producing that is. But Lyons believes this is where producers will need to share their story better and talk about what makes them different to others. The prediction is these elements will speed up the major trends that are going to impact our producers over the next five years.
Another impact on the availability of food is the efficiency gains and reduced inputs we are seeing in agriculture. It is
Alltech president and chief executive Dr Mark Lyons says although the global food chain supply is efficient, there is still a great deal of wastage.
important to be aware of anticipating unintended consequences.
“When you think of that global-local element, we’ve got to think about that aspect. We don’t want to become so focused on reducing the environmental impact that we’re not looking at the total production,” he says.
“Globally, we do have malnourishment and we have a huge amount of countries that are going to be left in a position post-covid that is even less food-secure than they were before.”
He explained we need to explore ways to maintain productivity while working towards efficiency and sustainability, looking at different technologies and a more holistic approach.
“When we speak about sustainability, we really say that we need to think about if this new technology coming out is going to, overall, benefit society. Is it going to sustainably improve our health? Are these things really better for society or not? I think that’s what it’s all about,” he says.
While it sounds like the discussion is producing more questions than answers, he says it is important to raise these concerns, talk about the challenges and bring everyone to the table for the conversation.
“I think the sustainability mission is a journey, not a destination. It’s all about doing things that provide for today and make sure that we do have enough for today, but we also know that we have enough for tomorrow,” he says.
“To me, it’s not about eliminating, it’s about creating and it’s about making sure that we are focused on innovation and new ideas.” Food wastage accounts for 8% of the greenhouse gases produced globally and that wastage occurs from the farm through to the home.
MORE:
To find out more about the Planet of Plenty concept visit www.planetofplenty.com
Rules and regulations... So much paperwork... Protect my waterways... Less nitrogen...
Where do I start?
“With all the new rules in the farming industry, including pressure to adopt greener farming practices, where do I start?”
If you are looking at biological or regenerative farming, then start with the soil!
So how can we help?
Correcting soil health is absolutely the starting point if we are to meet all the environmental challenges we face in New Zealand. Poor soil health results in many of the following:
• Soil compaction • Lack of root depth • Poor moisture retention • Reduced biology • Carbon and nutrient loss • Stock health issues
Most of us know this but many may not understand how to correct it, or what direction to step in.
Most of the problems above stem from poor soil structure, this results in lack of air and water (pore space) in the soil.
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Poorly structured soil
Well structured soil
• Less compaction - soil ‘bounces back’ due to increased air • Greater root depth - plants able to access more nutrient • Greater moisture retention - ideal pore space • Increased biology and soil carbon • Healthier stock - more nutrients in pasture
An application of Dolomite, often combined with your liming program, can be the first step you need in meeting the demands of the rule makers.
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The future of food systems
By Samantha Tennent
Existing resources must be used effectively to produce more food to match the future demand to feed the world.
As the global population rises and becomes more affluent, more net protein is needed to match an increase in demand of almost 100% by 2050.
But the amount of land we have to produce this protein will not change and approximately only 4% of the earth’s surface is appropriate for crop cultivation, and we have limited resources that must be used efficiently to ensure the future of food security, Harper Adams University chair in sustainable beef production Jude Capper says.
Capper was part of a panel discussion at the United Nations Food Systems PreSummit that was held in a hybrid format across Rome and digital platforms in July. The panel were discussing the future of protein security, focusing on maximising the efficiency of production resources without unintended social, cultural and environmental consequences.
Alternative proteins are creating excitement, but many new proteins are marketed by simply repackaging existing nutrients into plant-based meats and milk products, which means there is no net supply increase in protein. And the calls for reductions in animal agriculture could create a protein deficit that cannot be overcome by growing crops due to the limitations of available arable land and water.
“We often talk about producing a certain amount of food per amount of land or per amount of greenhouse gas, or whatever it might be, but the amount of food is not necessarily what matters,” Capper says.
“It’s about the limiting nutrients and we’re focusing very much on protein right now.”
A recent data review in the Global Food Security journal shows when total protein intake is corrected for poor digestibility and amino acid composition of plant-based proteins, none of the 103 countries reviewed is currently meeting the protein requirements of their population.
Livestock contributes to food security by supplying essential macro and micronutrients, providing manure and draught power and generating income. But they also consume food edible by humans and graze on pastures that could be used for crop production.
“It’s important to recognise that a sizable number of our global population rely on livestock for their income, for their health, for their education, so we have billions of smallholder farmers across the globe who absolutely rely on livestock,” he says.
“And livestock give us more than just food, they provide us with protein and energy and essential fatty acids and minerals, but they always also have huge roles in terms of byproducts in terms of pharmaceuticals, manure, leather (and) et cetera.”
A recent review by the Food and
The Quantitative Fluorescent Imaging System conducts protein analysis, which is used in cell and molecular biology that uses antibodies to identify target alternative proteins.
Livestock contributes to food security by supplying essential macro and micronutrients, providing manure and draught power and generating income.
Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) states that 86% of global livestock feed is classified as inedible to humans. The work highlights the ability of livestock to convert human inedible raw materials into high-quality food, particularly protein, for people.
South Dakota beef producer and author Amanda Radke says food from animal sources also makes an important contribution to food security through the provision of a variety of micronutrients, for example, vitamin A, vitamin B-12, riboflavin, calcium, iron and zinc, but it can be difficult to obtain these in adequate quantities from plant-source foods alone.
“We need to truly compare apples to apples and so calorie for calorie of what animal protein, particularly beef, has to offer,” Radke says.
“It is an incredibly nutrient-dense product and to get the same amount of protein that you could get from 180 calories in a three-ounce serving of beef you would have to eat about 600 calories of broccoli or quinoa or peanut butter.
“When we’re looking at the environmental impacts of different protein products, we need to really start comparing things like water usage and the natural resources used to get the equivalent nutrient density.”
Radke also highlighted that a lot of livestock feed comes from byproducts or co-products of human food production.
“If we use the US for example, there is a lot of crop agriculture that takes place in California, and there’s also a lot of dairy production,” she says.
“And what’s interesting is all those industries are really tied together. Where we have oranges that are going for orange juice and making citrus pulp as a byproduct that ends up in the diets of dairy cows.”
She believes the biggest element that would help food security surrounds wastage.
“Of the food we grow here in the US, meat or not, 40% ends up in landfills, which I think is critical if we work on reducing that wastage.
“And the second part we need to focus on is distributing that food that would otherwise go wasted and getting it to parts of the world where food is scarcer.”
The conversation around the future of food systems will continue at the 2021 Food Systems Summit in New York. Science and innovation are key to driving sustainable agricultural productivity, ensuring food security and better nutrition for everyone. And advancing a policy framework and innovative solutions to improve access to healthy and sustainable food will require multisectoral engagement.
“Every stakeholder in the food production system should be focusing on serving the needs of their customers,” she says.
“Whether that’s raising almonds and broccoli or raising nutrient-dense beef, there is a customer that needs these products and to truly be secure and to be free, and to be able to make choices that best fit the needs of our families is incredibly important to have a happy healthy food system.” n
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A life worth living
By Samantha Tennent
Animal welfare plays a big part in farmer’s lives and many are doing the right thing but need to communicate this better.
The farming landscape has changed and will continue to change and animal welfare is pivotal to how farms operate and gain access to a social licence to farm.
And there are many opportunities for farmers to take ownership of the picture portraying how animals are treated, farm animal welfare consultant Mandi McLeod said at the recent online Alltech ONE ideas conference.
“We have to give an alternative narrative or we’re going to end up with laws that do it for us,” McLeod says.
“Organisations that are anti-animal agriculture post offensive pictures on social media and for some people with no background in agriculture, those images at the end of an activist’s camera are the only sneaky peek they get.”
She explained that is what farmers need to protect themselves against by making sure there is nothing for the activists to put out in the public domain because everyone is ensuring their animals are well looked after.
“That is where assurance programmes are becoming a necessity to provide the evidence farmers are looking after their animals and looking for opportunities to improve, just as we do for food safety,” she says.
She believes training and support are pivotal for the future of animal welfare and the sustainability of livestock farming.
“Farming is a skilled job and there is plenty of general training available, but there isn’t a lot of training in animal welfare,” she says.
“Farmers need help to understand their legal responsibilities and that they are meeting them, but it’s beyond that too, knowing what we can do to ensure our animals, and people, thrive.”
McLeod has worked in a range of dairying systems, from the most basic to incredibly advanced with all the bells and whistles, but she explains the biggest difference in cow flow and subsequent efficiency relates to the stock handlers levels of knowledge of cow behaviour.
“Knowing how cattle will react in any given circumstance and being able to avoid negative reactions in advance is what really makes the difference,” she says.
“Many people don’t realise cattle hate whistling and pipe tapping in the dairy, or that they cannot tell the difference between a puddle of water and a hole in the ground because they have binocular vision, so that’s why they baulk or try to jump it – and they love to follow a leader.
“When we reflect on the negative animal welfare issues that have come up, it regularly comes back to frustrated people acting out on animals because they don’t know any better.
“But when we understand why cows behave how they do, and what they need, it is often the smallest, least expensive changes that can make the biggest difference to help them move more calmly. And we know calm cows are more productive than anxious ones who don’t know what is coming next.”
McLeod says that is a responsibility on everyone, not just for their own animals, but for neighbours’ animals and other animals we see around us.
“The standard you walk past is the standard that you accept. So I think we all need to look at our standards and ask ourselves, can I defend it? And if we can’t defend it, don’t do it,” she says.
Welfare used to be thought of in the five freedoms: freedom from hunger, thirst, pain, distress and suffering. But as we have progressed, the world has realised that for animals to be able to thrive and not survive, they need more than that.
Many countries, including New Zealand, have recognised animals as sentience by legislation. Sentience is having the capacity to feel, perceive or experience subjectively. And consumers
Waikato-based animal welfare consultant Mandi McLeod specialises in cattle behavior and welfare, which she says are pivotal in farming.
want to know that animals have a life worth living.
“Even if that is for a beef cow or a beef steer, and they are only alive for 18 months, that during that time they have a life worth living,” she says.
“I think that’s where the social licence to operate comes, is that people want to know that and they want to know how.”
She also spoke about how 25 years ago when she started her career, food safety was receiving a lot of attention. Consumers wanted to know that the food that they were eating was safe. But there was protest from farmers because they knew the food they were producing was safe.
“That’s when food safety programmes were developed. Then the word sustainability became the buzzword and it focused on the environment. And consumers wanted to know that the environment was safe and that farmers were custodians of the land,” she says.
“It’s now shifted to animal agriculture and animal welfare. But I think it’s about sharing that with consumers, that farming is hard, it’s not simple, it’s complex. And to share how we protect our animals and their environment.”
McLeod believes farmers by large are good at looking after their animals but they are not as good at communicating how they do it. She believes there are opportunities to utilise the marketing strength of the retailers.
“We need to partner together and come up with animal welfare programmes that go beyond the simple metrics of management paperwork, to ones that actually look at animals and say, is this animal thriving in this environment? Does it have a life worth living?” she asks.
“It’s shifting the focus of auditing from being a cost to a value-add. And that’s really where the future is, seeing that animal welfare, as a public good, is a value-add proposition to retailers.
And we don’t need expensive solutions to improve animal welfare on most farms. Fixing the basics should always be first.” n
Mandi McLeod says farmers need help to understand their legal responsibilities around animal welfare and ensure that they are meeting them.
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