February 7, 2025

Attaining sustainability goals key topic at Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit in Georgia, US

Sponsored by the US Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and the Meat Institute, the annual Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit held in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States, offered key insights on collaboration and attaining realisable sustainability goals in addition to hearing the latest on how the meat, poultry and egg, and animal feed industries are advancing their sustainability programmes.

The summit was held during the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE).

The event began with a keynote panel providing restaurant insights into sustainability and collaboration. The panel included PJ Newcomb, sustainability director working with Golden State Foods; Bryan Valladares, senior sustainability analyst at Darden Restaurants; and Lankford Ruffin, director of environmental affairs and sustainability at Butterball LLC.

The panel discussion covered topics such as animal welfare, carbon emissions, feed production footprint, and collaboration between customers, producers and suppliers.

Newcomb remarked that "sustainability is a journey, not a destination" and that rules and requirements change frequently. Valladares said that "collaboration is key between producers and suppliers," while Ruffin stated that "it is important for retailers to know where we are going."

After the panel discussion, representatives from the meat, poultry and egg, and animal feed industries provided updates on their programmes and tools aimed at advancing sustainable protein production. A key theme emphasised by industry leaders was the importance of communication across the animal agriculture sector to achieve sustainability goals and effectively highlighting each organisation's contributions. Speakers included Ryan Bennett, executive director of the US Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs and the International Poultry Welfare Alliance; Lara Moody, PE, executive director of the Institute for Feed Education and Research; and Eric Mittenthal, chief strategy officer at the Meat Institute and The Protein PACT.

- USPOULTRY