-
U.S. dairy took the stage at COP27 as a climate-smart solution to feed the world
By Paul Rogers December 2, 2022- Tweet
USDEC and DMI showcased U.S. dairy’s contributions to global climate and food security goals and the work that lies ahead.
Animal agriculture, including dairy, is under the microscope globally and often subject to decisions made by people who have never been on a dairy farm or in a dairy processing plant. That’s why the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) felt it was so critical to engage with global policymakers, allied agricultural organizations and, particularly, groups that have been critical of dairy at last month’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
COP27 brought together more than 40,000 people to collaborate on climate solutions, and U.S. dairy was in the thick of it. USDEC President and CEO Krysta Harden and Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) Chair Marilyn Hershey co-led a high-level U.S. delegation to highlight U.S. dairy’s critical contributions to global climate and food security goals.
“At this pivotal moment for agriculture and climate, USDEC was honored to contribute to the global conversation on sustainability generated by COP,” said Harden. “More importantly, COP27 is the perfect platform to share our ambitious commitments, celebrate progress and realistically communicate the hard work that remains to secure U.S. dairy’s critical role in a more sustainable global food system.”
USDEC is honored to represent U.S. dairy at #COP27 and to join @IICANews Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion. Follow along as we highlight U.S. dairy's critical contributions to global #FoodSecurity and sustainable #FoodSystems. pic.twitter.com/KkRDr9Amo8
— U.S. Dairy Exporter (@USDairyExporter) November 8, 2022Throughout the conference, the U.S. dairy delegation collectively participated in panels, program discussions and bilateral meetings with other organizations active at COP. This article provides a one-stop roundup of what U.S. dairy accomplished at COP27 and why. It includes a sampling of social media messages and images posted by USDEC during the Nov. 6-18 global gathering.
IICA Pavilion: center of dairy activity
USDEC was a major contributor to the first-ever Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion hosted by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). This opportunity was a natural outgrowth of USDEC’s strong partnership with IICA focusing on supporting science-based food standards and promoting the critical role of dairy in sustainable food systems—critical themes that USDEC is committed to bringing to the COP forum.COP27 is the latest in USDEC’s ongoing efforts to engage with the voices who are playing a major role in shaping global policies to mitigate the challenges of climate change and to raise U.S. dairy’s profile as a committed partner. It builds on USDEC work with the United Nations agencies like the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and on DMI’s efforts domestically, strengthening relationships, fostering goodwill and enhancing U.S. dairy’s reputation by showcasing the industry’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
IICA’s pavilion was the center of dairy activity in the official “Blue Zone,” with hundreds visiting the location throughout each day. In addition, it served as the focal point for producers, agriculture experts, academics, dairy industry leaders, supply chain partners and senior government representatives to address COP27 negotiators and influential stakeholders.
The Blue Zone at #COP27 is THE spot for negotiations. USDEC is meeting w/ global leaders gathered here, like Dr. Rattan Lal, recipient of the 2020 World Food Prize, sharing our experiences and learning from others. We can only achieve sustainable #FoodSystems by working together. pic.twitter.com/0VrOai4MU6
— U.S. Dairy Exporter (@USDairyExporter) November 13, 2022USDEC convenes dairy panel
Among other programming, USDEC convened the panel, “Climate Smart and Sustainable Dairy Production,” at the IICA Pavilion, to increase awareness of the climate actions, sustainable initiatives and progress made by the dairy sector at global, regional and national levels.Featuring U.S. dairy’s experience, the panel highlighted the ways the dairy sector globally is working to reduce emissions, contribute to GHG mitigation and explore opportunities for enhancing productivity by adopting practices and technologies that can have a meaningful impact on the sector’s environmental footprint.
Harden moderated the panel, which included speakers Hershey; Donald Moore, executive director of Global Dairy Platform (GDP); Caroline Emond, director general of the International Dairy Federation (IDF); and Cecilia Jones, a coordinator with Uruguay’s National Institute of Agricultural Research. In addition, the Pan American Dairy Federation (FEPALE) provided videos of sustainability work its members are conducting in Chile and Uruguay to implement solutions for their unique production systems and geographies. USDEC has a long-standing relationship with FEPALE, working together on numerous issues impacting the dairy industry, dairy consumption and global trade, with an increasing focus on sustainability in the face of global trade challenges like the EU Farm to Fork strategy.
.@IICANews is hosting the first ever Americas food pavilion at #COP27, with a packed agenda addressing how the Americas can help feed the world, sustainably. USDEC CEO Krysta Harden, right, is kicking off a panel of experts sharing solutions for #ClimateSmart #Sustainable dairy pic.twitter.com/XwtNNjhLFd
— U.S. Dairy Exporter (@USDairyExporter) November 10, 2022Hershey talks dairy with Vilsack
At a separate panel put on by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), DMI Chair Hershey highlighted U.S. dairy climate-smart initiatives to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and other U.S. agricultural leaders.Vilsack provided updates on major U.S. sustainability programs impacting dairy.
- USDA added $300 million to its initial $2.8 billion investment in 70 pilot projects from the U.S. Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. Among the first-round funding was $400 million for nine dairy-focused projects to help develop markets for climate-smart dairy commodities and help the dairy sector more effectively monitor, verify and report greenhouse gas reduction benefits. The additional $300 million is earmarked for new projects aimed at small and underserved producers.
- The Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate), which was launched by the U.S. and UAE in conjunction with COP26 in 2021, has earned backing by more than 60 nations and nearly 250 multi-national organizations and companies, including USDEC. (USDEC is an official AIM for Climate “knowledge partner.”) The program supports sustainability progress in agriculture to make it part of the sustainability solution, while building resiliency and providing innovative tools, funding and other resources for producers.
- Pathways to Dairy Net Zero rolled out prior to COP26 last year. Created by Global Dairy Platform (GDP) and, with the backing of USDEC and other partners such as the UN FAO and the U.S. State Department, Pathways seeks to reduce the environmental impact of the sector as a whole.
The Pathways initiative is an important effort that shows the world that the global dairy industry is serious about addressing environmental impact while doubling down on the important role that dairy has in the future of the global food system.
“At a time when many detractors are looking for ways to marginalize the role of dairy, this is a critical initiative on which the industry must stand together on a pre-competitive basis,” said Harden.
Networking reception
Harden also hosted a USDEC/IICA reception and dinner that drew close to 100 attendees from 14 countries. The guests included several ministerial and ambassador-level officials, a former UN Secretary-General and representatives from groups often critical of the environmental impact of dairy and skeptical of the nutritional value of animal-sourced foods.Representatives from USDA, major global organizations (such as food and agriculture companies JBS Foods, Corteva and FMC Corp.), food-focused nonprofits like EAT, and environmental groups like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Nature Conservancy were on hand for the networking event. Presentations during the dinner highlighted programs demonstrating agriculture’s power as a climate solution through innovation, adaptation and productivity growth, including the U.S.-led Sustainable Productivity Growth Coalition (SPG Coalition) and Virginia Tech's Global Agricultural Productivity Initiative.
Bill Hohenstein, director of USDA's Office of Energy and Environmental Policy, outlined the SPG Coalition, which was formed with USDEC’s support at the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021.
The SPG Coalition aims to accelerate the transition to more sustainable food systems using a holistic approach to productivity growth—a key theme USDEC supports—that considers impacts and tradeoffs among multiple objectives, including food security and nutrition, food safety, food affordability, farmer incomes, animal welfare, biodiversity, water quality, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and other factors. The SPG Coalition created an influential group of like-minded organizations and countries with which USDEC is working to ensure that productivity growth—essential for U.S. dairy to achieve its own environmental goals—features prominently in global dialogues like COP. Productivity growth has been an important rallying cry to defend modern U.S. agricultural practices at COP against ideologically driven critics favoring agroecological approaches such as those embodied in the EU Farm-to-Fork Initiative.
Dairy is one part of #SustainableLivestock, and we are working to align efforts and achieve goals across the sector. Expert speakers are addressing the challenges & opportunities in the @IICANews Americas food pavilion at #COP27. pic.twitter.com/QGGee6SBu4
— U.S. Dairy Exporter (@USDairyExporter) November 12, 2022Influencing minds
A major goal of USDEC’s presence at COP was engaging with influential groups active in the forum who are skeptical of U.S. dairy’s role in a sustainable food system and often advocate solutions supporting local production at the expense of international trade. Several engagement breakthroughs were achieved through bilateral meetings, particularly with global health and food security groups, like EAT and the FAIRR Initiative.“We felt that we needed to be at COP27 as an organization to provide facts, to correct some misconceptions, to participate,” said Harden. “We wanted to build stronger relationships and strengthen U.S. dairy credibility with those groups we have been working with on sustainability for years, and we wanted to better engage with those who may not see dairy as compatible with their vision of sustainability.”
“At times, some of those discussions were difficult. But talking with those groups who don’t agree with us is just as important as talking with those who do agree with us,” she added. “COP allowed us to sit down in a civil presence and have those discussions. The conference is the convening of disparate idea, but with some underlying consistencies. All of us care about our planet. We care about feeding people in a sustainable way … we just have a different way of going about it.”
Paul Rogers is a correspondent for the U.S. Dairy Export Council who has covered the dairy industry for 25 years.Learn more:
Subscribe to the U.S. Dairy Exporter Blog
The U.S. Dairy Export Council fosters collaborative industry partnerships with processors, trading companies and others to enhance global demand for U.S. dairy products and ingredients. USDEC is primarily supported by Dairy Management Inc. through the dairy farmer checkoff. How to republish this post.
10 Most Recent Posts
Most Popular Posts in Past Year
Index of Posts by Topic
- #GotDairyJobs (4)
- About USDEC (65)
- Africa (6)
- Australia (4)
- Blog (8)
- Brazil (4)
- Canada (20)
- Central America (1)
- Cheese (58)
- Chile (1)
- China (54)
- Common food names (7)
- Company News (17)
- Consistent Supply (1)
- Crisis Management (3)
- Cuba (2)
- Dairy (6)
- Dairy checkoff (8)
- Dairy Ingredients (5)
- Dairy Management Inc. (2)
- Dairy Resources (1)
- Dairy Supply Chain (1)
- Dairy Trends (5)
- Documentation (3)
- EU (24)
- Experts on Dairy Exports (4)
- Exporter of the Year (2)
- Exports (24)
- Farming (38)
- Food Aid (8)
- Food Safety (8)
- Foodservice (3)
- Free trade agreements (34)
- Geographical Indications (GIs) (10)
- Global Marketing (87)
- Global Shipping Crisis (1)
- Got Jobs? (9)
- Indonesia (1)
- Innovation (17)
- Japan (17)
- Krysta Harden (1)
- Market Access (25)
- Market Conditions (253)
- Member Services (17)
- Mexico (40)
- Middle East (10)
- Middle East & North Africa (3)
- Middle East/North Africa (10)
- Milk (4)
- Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC) (2)
- New Zealand (11)
- Next5% (20)
- Nonfat Dry Milk/Skim Milk Powder (8)
- Nutrition (18)
- Product Innovation (6)
- Protein (4)
- Regulations (5)
- Research & Data (311)
- Russia (3)
- Singapore (10)
- South America (8)
- South Korea (10)
- Southeast Asia (25)
- Strategic Insights (1)
- Supply (1)
- Sustainability (25)
- Technology (2)
- ThinkUSADairy (5)
- TPM23 (1)
- TPP (13)
- Traceability (8)
- Trade Barriers (5)
- Trade Data (7)
- Trade Policy (72)
- TTIP (5)
- UHT Milk (7)
- USMCA (2)
- Vietnam (4)
- Whey (6)
- Whey Ingredients (2)
- Whey products (10)
- Whole Milk Powder (WMP) (3)
- World Dairy Expo (1)
- World Milk Day (1)
- Yogurt (1)
Index of Posts by Date, Author
- June 2021 (13)
- March 2015 (12)
- September 2015 (12)
- March 2014 (11)
- April 2015 (11)
- December 2015 (11)
- February 2015 (10)
- October 2015 (10)
- October 2014 (9)
- June 2015 (9)
- July 2015 (9)
- November 2015 (9)
- March 2016 (9)
- October 2019 (9)
- September 2013 (8)
- May 2015 (8)
- August 2015 (8)
- January 2016 (8)
- February 2016 (8)
- March 2017 (8)
- December 2018 (8)
- May 2019 (8)
- December 2019 (8)
- June 2014 (7)
- November 2016 (7)
- May 2017 (7)
- May 2018 (7)
- July 2020 (7)
- June 2023 (7)
- July 2016 (6)
- August 2018 (6)
- October 2018 (6)
- November 2018 (6)
- February 2019 (6)
- June 2019 (6)
- August 2019 (6)
- March 2020 (6)
- April 2020 (6)
- June 2020 (6)
- June 2022 (6)
- February 2014 (5)
- June 2016 (5)
- August 2016 (5)
- September 2016 (5)
- December 2016 (5)
- February 2017 (5)
- July 2017 (5)
- October 2017 (5)
- January 2018 (5)
- April 2018 (5)
- June 2018 (5)
- July 2018 (5)
- September 2018 (5)
- January 2019 (5)
- March 2019 (5)
- April 2019 (5)
- July 2019 (5)
- September 2019 (5)
- November 2019 (5)
- January 2020 (5)
- August 2020 (5)
- October 2020 (5)
- April 2021 (5)
- January 2022 (5)
- May 2013 (4)
- September 2014 (4)
- April 2016 (4)
- May 2016 (4)
- October 2016 (4)
- January 2017 (4)
- April 2017 (4)
- June 2017 (4)
- August 2017 (4)
- September 2017 (4)
- December 2017 (4)
- February 2018 (4)
- February 2020 (4)
- May 2020 (4)
- February 2022 (4)
- September 2022 (4)
- April 2023 (4)
- December 2023 (4)
- November 2017 (3)
- March 2018 (3)
- September 2020 (3)
- December 2020 (3)
- February 2021 (3)
- May 2021 (3)
- August 2021 (3)
- December 2021 (3)
- March 2022 (3)
- April 2022 (3)
- May 2022 (3)
- October 2022 (3)
- December 2022 (3)
- May 2023 (3)
- July 2023 (3)
- November 2023 (3)
- March 2011 (2)
- June 2011 (2)
- September 2011 (2)
- March 2012 (2)
- June 2012 (2)
- July 2012 (2)
- March 2013 (2)
- July 2013 (2)
- November 2020 (2)
- January 2021 (2)
- March 2021 (2)
- July 2021 (2)
- September 2021 (2)
- October 2021 (2)
- November 2021 (2)
- July 2022 (2)
- August 2022 (2)
- January 2023 (2)
- March 2023 (2)
- October 2023 (2)
- January 2024 (2)
- February 2024 (2)
- April 2024 (2)
- June 2024 (2)
- July 2024 (2)
- January 2010 (1)
- February 2010 (1)
- March 2010 (1)
- April 2010 (1)
- May 2010 (1)
- June 2010 (1)
- July 2010 (1)
- August 2010 (1)
- September 2010 (1)
- October 2010 (1)
- November 2010 (1)
- December 2010 (1)
- January 2011 (1)
- February 2011 (1)
- April 2011 (1)
- May 2011 (1)
- July 2011 (1)
- August 2011 (1)
- October 2011 (1)
- November 2011 (1)
- December 2011 (1)
- January 2012 (1)
- February 2012 (1)
- April 2012 (1)
- August 2012 (1)
- September 2012 (1)
- October 2012 (1)
- November 2012 (1)
- December 2012 (1)
- January 2013 (1)
- February 2013 (1)
- April 2013 (1)
- June 2013 (1)
- August 2013 (1)
- October 2013 (1)
- November 2013 (1)
- December 2013 (1)
- January 2014 (1)
- April 2014 (1)
- May 2014 (1)
- November 2022 (1)
- February 2023 (1)
- August 2023 (1)
- September 2023 (1)
- March 2024 (1)
- May 2024 (1)
- August 2024 (1)
- September 2024 (1)
- USDEC (183)
- USDEC Staff (146)
- Alan Levitt (119)
- Tom Suber (41)
- Margaret Speich (22)
- Marc A.H. Beck (15)
- Vikki Nicholson-West (11)
- Angélique Hollister (11)
- Tom Vilsack (8)
- Jaime Castaneda (7)
- Matt McKnight (7)
- Véronique Lagrange (7)
- Margaret Speich and Mark O'Keefe (7)
- Ross Christieson (7)
- Paul Rogers (6)
- Shawna Morris (5)
- William Loux (5)
- Alan Levitt and Marc Beck (5)
- Krysta Harden (4)
- USDEC Communications (3)
- Kristi Saitama (3)
- Marilyn Hershey (3)
- Brad Gehrke (3)
- Tom Quaife (2)
- Jim Mulhern (2)
- Alan Levitt and William Loux (2)
- Kara McDonald (2)
- Luke Waring (2)
- Merle McNeil (2)
- Andrei Mikhalevsky (1)
- Rodrigo Fernandez (1)
- Nick Gardner (1)
- Dermot Carey (1)
- Jeremy Travis (1)
- Annie Bienvenue (1)
- Ross Christieson and Shawna Morris (1)
- Paul Rogers and Tom Quaife (1)
- Rick Ortman (1)
- Tony Rice (1)
- Barbara O’Brien (1)
- Paul Rogers and Mark O'Keefe (1)
- Dalilah Ghazalay (1)
- Amy Wagner (1)
- Mitchell Bowling (1)
- Brad Scott (1)
- Amy Foor (1)
- Scott Lantz (1)
- Sandra Benson (1)
- Errico Auricchio (1)
- Jaclyn Krymowski (1)
- Krysta Harden, USDEC President and CEO (1)