Global methane pledge welcomed by US-EU feed industries

US president Joe Biden made the announcement during the Major Economic Forum, a virtual meeting attended by leaders from around the world, including the UK’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, as well as Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and South Korean president, Moon Jae-in.

Methane pledge a ‘step in the right direction

In a joint statement, AFIA president and CEO, Constance Cullman, and FEFAC president, Asbjørn Børsting, noted: “The US-EU pledge […] is a positive step in the right direction. It gives regulators on both sides of the Atlantic the opportunity to modernise their existing regulatory requirements to incorporate innovative feed ingredients and implement strategies that are proven to significantly minimise methane emissions from enteric fermentation. This, together with other mitigation strategies, such as improved farming and grazing techniques, animal genetics and animal husbandry practices, hold the key to further reduce the impact of dairy and beef production globally and thereby contribute to the success of the US-EU pledge.”

“Today, there are feed ingredients in use around the world that are helping the beef and dairy sectors optimise the nutrient uptake of their livestock, while reducing their enteric emissions, but the use of these technologies is limited due to inconsistent regulatory regimes,” the statement continued, adding that meaningful change in reducing global methane emissions will only be realised through the use of science and technology.

Representation of AFIA and FEFAC

AFIA represents the interests of the US animal food industry and its suppliers. Membership is comprised of over 650 domestic and international companies that represent the feed industry (from livestock feed and pet food manufacturers to ingredient suppliers, pharmaceutical companies and equipment manufacturers). AFIA’s members manufacture more than 75% of the feed and 70% of the non-whole grain ingredients used in the country. Meanwhile, FEFAC represents 23 national associations in 23 EU member states, the UK, as well as associations in Switzerland, Turkey, Serbia, Russia and Norway.