April 24, 2015

First of its kind Feed LCA Guidelines released

The International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF), American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and European Compound Feed Manufacturers' Federation (FEFAC) have announced the official release of the Global Feed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) guidelines.

The guidelines are developed by the Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership (LEAP) which is led by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

IFIF, AFIA and FEFAC are founding members of LEAP, which aims to improve methods of measurement and assessment on the environmental impacts of the livestock industry. The global LCA Guidelines are an essential step to help reduce the impact of livestock products on the environment.

"The Guidelines provide practical and science-based recommendations to assess the environmental performance of feed supply chains. They carry an international scientific consensus based on the input of twenty international experts in the drafting process and a thorough international public review which took place ahead of this official release" said Prof. Dr. Frank Mitloehner, the former Chairman of LEAP.

"These Guidelines represent a significant milestone for the global feed industry," said Mario Cutait, IFIF's Chairman. "Sustainability is one of the key priorities for IFIF and these global guidelines will enable consistent and credible environmental assessments with a view to reduce the environmental footprint of livestock products."

"We can now work with our partners on the agri-feed chain to develop practical tools for feed and livestock producers to assist them in further reducing the environmental footprint of their activities," Cutait added.

"LEAP is an international and a multi-stakeholder process", said Joel G. Newman, AFIA's president and CEO. "It means that the LEAP/FAO Feed LCA Guidelines reflect a common vision among partners, including the FAO, national governments, private sector organisations as well as NGOs. This adds value to these globally harmonised metrics and will help meet our customers' expectations."

"We took into account the main recommendations of the Product Environmental Footprint Guide published by the European Commission Common during the development of the FAO/LEAP Guidelines" said Ruud Tijssens, the president of FEFAC. "From a European perspective, the FAO/LEAP guidelines are therefore a logical and relevant starting point to develop a standard aligned with the recommendations of the European Commission."