To realize sustainability-enhancing efficiencies across the pork supply chain, start with the right pig.
That’s the guiding principle behind the recently announced collaboration between PIC and the National Pork Board, which aims to create a framework to show pork producers how they can improve their sustainability through quantifying environmental benefits downstream from genetic improvements in pigs.
“We’re going to be kicking off this work just by the end of this year,” said Banks Baker, director of new product marketing for PIC — or Pig Improvement Co., a global animal genetics and biotechnology company. “Something that became pretty striking for me was that we weren’t utilizing the idea that starting with the right animal — starting with an animal that is healthy, robust and efficient — provides a sustainability outcome.”
As part of establishing their framework, PIC and NPB are first quantifying the differences between current industry production baselines to demonstrate how using animals with PIC’s genetics can provide systemwide reductions in inputs.
“That will give us the full environmental impact of what our genetics are delivering to the system,” Baker said. “That’s really the first piece, and then the second piece is going to be around this framework that we’re developing with Pork Board, in terms of what needs to exist, what are the minimum requirements, what has to happen, what needs to be demonstrated, in order for a corporation to be able to credibly claim these reductions within their supply chain”