The system of sustainable food production

It’s a little over 12 months since the former CEO of Bord Bia joined Alltech in a role to which she brought a strong understanding of sustainable food production systems. Tara explains that role in a bit more detail: “Back in 2019, Alltech shared a vision with its customers and stakeholders of what the company is trying to achieve with the launch of our ‘Planet of Plenty’ strategy. It is defined as providing adequate nutrition for everyone on the planet, revitalising local economies and replenishing the planet’s resources. That’s the backdrop for what everyone in Alltech is charged with delivering,” she says.
“Over the past 12 months we have defined the Alltech perspective towards achieving that vision. There are four specific jobs to be done. The first is building the proof that Alltech is very committed to achieving its aims. We must, in turn, build our own leadership to achieve our aims and really understand the networks and insights that are behind the huge task that is ESG. The third job is building confidence among our staff around the topic because it is a complex and constantly evolving scenario. We are looking at the investment all of that involves. Finally, the belief is that if we have our proofs and our insights around the value chain and have confident teams then there is an opportunity to display our strategies and policies to our customers.”

Developing the ESG template

There is no single ESG strategy or benchmarking process for companies to adopt. But, Tara explains, this is an evolving area and standards are becoming more clearly defined: “There are initiatives, especially in Europe, to define the reporting expectations around each of the ESG frameworks. There are very definitive expectations around the transparency that should be in place. It is an evolving situation with efforts to develop global alignment and you have the US and voluntary organisations aligning their expectations to make it easier for companies to be consistent in their ESG standards. The situation is still evolving but is increasingly defined.”

Defining sustainability

Whether you are a farmer, a small-business owner, a distributor, involved in nutrition or in any facet of the food industry, then sustainable food production is a concern. Tara defines sustainable food production as that which is produced in a way that is nutritionally optimum for people, and in a way that is aligned to our planetary boundaries, and that is affordable to consumers. It has a wider remit than sometimes thought, says Tara. “It is looking at the environmental, social and economic aspects of food production and the key is being able to have the metrics to prove to different stakeholders that what you are doing meets those criteria. Too often, when people talk about sustainability, they only concentrate on the emissions. That’s one of the conversations we as an industry have to equip ourselves to navigate, because our job is not only to measure emissions, it is about producing nutrient-rich food to feed the planet in a sustainable way, which means we are living and producing within the planetary boundaries that we have available to us.”

Reflecting on Origin Green

The former CEO of Bord Bia would have been very involved in the establishment and roll out of Origin Green – the world’s only national food and drink sustainability programme – during her time there. What is her view of the initiative now? “It is cutting-edge thinking and I’m very proud that Ireland has created an infrastructure that is almost uniquely globally. Origin Green certification protects our food chain. It encompasses all the relevant data around traceability and production standards. The next phase will require even further scaling up, because of all the other aspects as well as emissions. These include water quality, biodiversity, and all the necessary data around the nutrient value of Irish food.”

Origin Green certification protects our food chain. It encompasses all the relevant data around traceability and production standards

The carbon balance

The concept of zero carbon is another topic the Alltech vice-president explored: “We have to look at optimum carbon input and the closest we can get to carbon neutrality. You can’t have animal production without carbon expenditure. The challenge is to ensure that consumers who are looking at reducing their carbon impact choose food on the basis of its low carbon footprint credentials. This is about the evolution of the value chain and the business model of agriculture throughout the world, because we will have carbon capture opportunities.
“Our soil is an enormous resource to capture carbon. Science is still evolving around that. We must look at the full cycle around food production, the roles of our crops, our soils and our animals and not regard each as isolated silos but rather as an integrated system. The responsible evolution of the carbon market is an opportunity for agriculture rather than a threat for producers to be beaten up over because of one particular number.”

Protecting competitiveness

When asked to reconcile the demands of the Green Deal and Farm to Fork with the challenge of remaining globally competitive, Tara says: “All of these are moving parts so there are no absolutes out there. It is clear that Europe has positioned itself to be the leader in environmental protection, not only in agriculture but across all aspects of society and the EU economy. That is a huge transition.
“Mairead McGuinness’s contribution to the Alltech One conference challenged policymakers to stay close to farmers. It is not a ‘them and us’ situation. It has to be an entire value chain, being rewarded, being educated, as we make this transition.
“I am just back from the US and they are struggling, and are behind us in terms of progress because they don’t have access to the data we have in Europe and most especially in Ireland. Traceability is limited in the US and there is division as to what the right route forward is towards sustainable food production. Cohesion in European policy offers an opportunity. No one wants the destruction of European agriculture. It is too large and important a part of all our economies to risk damaging it. Notwithstanding that, European agriculture must be more resilient, that is, not in a continuous boom/bust global commodity cycle. Collaboration between policy makers at all levels as well as our entire value chains must ensure that consumers have access to affordable, nutritious food with producers making a decent living.”

The Alltech model

Tara outlined Alltech’s role in the ongoing development of a sustainable food production model: “We have a €2.5bn turnover with 5,000 employees across 90 countries. We understand the importance of soil and its carbon-capture capabilities. We have invested in the science around soil and its value for sustainable food production. The soil microbiome and its improvement are important to us and developing products that can improve productivity while reducing fertiliser inputs are an integral aspect of our work.
“Our crop science division is an important growth area for us. We are also developing increasing knowledge around the multiple levers that influence efficient livestock production. That ranges from exploiting production data, on ensuring optimum growth and output from dedicated feed inputs though our InTouch Keenan system. Alltech’s E-CO2 division mirrors the farm data collection on carbon footprint we are familiar with in Ireland.
“All this feeds into the efficiency of our products. The emphasis is on how natural products can contribute to efficiency and productivity while minimising waste and ensuring low carbon footprint in food production.”