COMMENTS FROM THE LIVESTOCK SECTOR GROUP
INTERNATIONAL DAIRY FEDERATION (IDF)
INTERNATIONAL FEED INDUSTRY FEDERATION (IFIF)
INTERNATIONAL MEAT SECRETARIAT (IMS)
INTERNATIONAL POULTRY COUNCIL (IPC)
CFS-HLPE DRAFT V0
Sustainable Agricultural Development for Food Security and Nutrition, including the
Role of Livestock
The livestock sector appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on the CFS-HLPE Draft
Version 0 Sustainable Agricultural Development for Food Security and Nutrition, including the
role of Livestock. As a sector, we are ready to continue to collaborate and strengthen sustainable
food production and to help contribute to dietary quality and nutrient adequacy around the
world through the provision of safe, affordable, nutritious and sustainable feed and food.
We believe that only by working together with all stakeholders in the feed and food chain,
including governments, the private sector and non-governmental groups, can we meet the
demands of 60% more food, including animal proteins like beef, poultry, pork, eggs, fish and
dairy products in the future. As we work together we will continue to champion science-based
decisions, the need for continued innovation and better technologies, as well as
regulatory convergence and free and fair trade.
The comments presented below are a compilation of the main aspects presented in the
individual comments submitted by the International Dairy Federation, International Meat
Secretariat, International Feed Industry Federation and the International Poultry Council. The
comments are not exhaustive and do not present mentions to specific sectors.
1.
The report is wide-ranging and comprehensive in analyzing the contribution of
sustainable agricultural development to ensuring food security and nutrition (FSN), with a
particular focus on the livestock sector because of its importance for both nutrition and
sustainable futures. Do you think that the report is striking the right balance between
agricultural development overall and the livestock sector specifically with respect to their
relative contribution to FSN?
The V0 is a comprehensive review of sustainable agriculture development and sustainable food
systems, supported by science-based evidences and country and sector specific cases. There is
an inclination to agriculture in developing countries and smallholder farming systems. The Food
Security and Nutrition is a global issue and has to comprise all farming systems, regardless of
size, intensification levels or systems, acknowledging the benefits of modern agriculture and
livestock production to the world population and to a growing demand for food, given the
increase in income and urbanization levels.
We strongly believe that environmental sustainability performance depends on management
practices and skills within different production systems. Multilateral dialogues among
stakeholders promoted regionally are an effective way to address sustainability challenges and
seek improvements.
2.
The report is structured around context, trends, challenges and pathways/responses.
Do you think that these are comprehensive enough, and adequately considered and
articulated? Does the report strike the right balance of coverage across the various chapters?
Are there important aspects that are missing?
As far as the structure of the report is concerned, the livestock sector would like to stress the
importance of putting environmental challenges of food production in relation to the
contribution of essential nutrients. Debate should not be simplified by focusing only on a single
environmental aspect or by comparing single nutrients or food items.
In this sense, it would be important to have a structured classification of existing diets, in order
to identify challenges and opportunities for different ASFs in a dietary context, in a more
accurate way than it is done in Table 1, page 59.
A chapter on the crucial role of infrastructures is missing. It is crucial that countries and regions
make roads, waterways, railroads and other tailor made efficient, quality transport means
available for everybody. Producers must be able to transport their produce to cities or further
away, and able to get new equipment and other means to their often remote production areas
via high quality, convenient roads. It is the task of governments to provide these - this is the best
way to ensure that small producers and poor regions will get an opportunity to work themselves
out of poverty. Equally important are schools for all, agricultural education at all levels, working
supporting institutions, banking and loaning opportunities for all at rates and conditions
comparable with those in developed countries.
In addition to that, a glossary for terms and abbreviations used and an executive summary with
key points would be helpful.
3.
The report uses a classification to distinguish between four broad categories of
livestock systems, in order to better identify specific challenges and sustainable development
pathways for each of them. Do you find this approach useful for identifying specific policy
responses and actions in different socio-economic and environmental contexts?
The production systems represented by several livestock sector players does not fit in any of the
proposed categories of livestock systems. There is a need for diversified categories that can
actually address challenges and opportunities, as well as a revision on the description of those
categories.
4.
The report has identified a wide range of challenges likely to be faced in the coming
period to which policy makers and other stakeholders will need to take into account so that
SADL can contribute to FSN. Do you think that there are other key challenges/opportunities
that need to be covered in the report, including those related to emerging technologies, the
concentration and intensification of production in livestock, and the implications for
feedstuffs (crops and oilseeds), and international trade?
The report could explore the new climate change mitigation technologies that are being
developed and the challenges for successful their development and adoption.
It should also bring more focus to the social and economic aspect of livestock production and its
capacity of generating income, creating jobs and keeping people to their land. Productivity will
have to increase and efficiency gap will need to be reduced, but it will only be possible with new
technologies and intensification of production.
5.
A decision-making approach that could be useful for policy makers in designing and
implementing policies and actions has been proposed in Chapter 4 of the report. Is this a useful
and pragmatic approach?
Yes, it seems to be useful and pragmatic.
6.
Chapter 4 also contains case studies/examples of evolutions of agricultural
development policies and actions in different contexts/countries. Could you offer other
practical, well-documented and significant examples to enrich and provide better balance to
the variety of cases and the lessons learned in agricultural development, including the trade
offs or win-win outcomes in terms of addressing the different dimensions of sustainability and
FSN?
Specific case-studies are provided in the comments submitted individually by each livestock
sector organization.
7.
The social dimension of sustainable agriculture development has often been less well
described and understood, including due to lack of data. Examples and experiences on such
issues (livelihoods, gender, share and situation of self employed versus wage workers,
working conditions, etc.) would be of particular interest to the team.
Livestock sectors are responsible for the creation of millions of jobs around the world and for
generating income from the land and avoiding a migration from rural to urban areas. There has
been a large focus on the role of agriculture at the production base but less of an emphasis of
the economic value of the creation of value chains and its economic impact and the cost/benefit
of producing and providing food to consumers in country. The ability of the country to develop
value chain markets and feed people has a rippling effect through the economy. Livestock is
uniquely able to build value chains through the cooperative and integration systems.
8.
The upstream and downstream sectors are playing an increasingly important role in
respect of the orientation of agricultural development, food choices and diets. Can you
provide examples of the role these sectors play in sustainable agricultural development and
FSN?
9.
What are the key policy initiatives or successful interventions to improve the
sustainability of food systems, in different countries and contexts that merit discussion in the
report? Is there evidence about the potential of economic incentives, and which ones (taxes,
subsidies etc.), regulatory approaches, capacity building, R&D and voluntary actions by food
system actors?
An analysis of public investment in the livestock sector should be included in this report. This is
important since public investment in the livestock sector has not been increasing, despite
increases in livestock’s contribution to agricultural GDP.
The authors rightly point out that subsidies have typically been provided for productivity, making
farming systems less vulnerable to climate change, and harnessing agriculture to deliver more
environmental services. While these are positive uses of subsidies, the agriculture sector as a
whole has had a decrease in the level of funding for research and innovation and applied
research and extension. We need an increased focus on technology transfer and an increase in
funding to support worldwide soil research, and in particular to agriculture, the investment in
manure as a resource for soil amendment and fertilizer.
10.
The design and implementation of policies for FSN requires robust, comparative data
over time and across countries. Where are the data gaps that governments, national and
international organizations might need to address in the future in order to understand trends
and formulate better policies?
11.
Are there any major omissions or gaps in the report? Are topics under-or overrepresented in relation to their importance? Are any facts or conclusions refuted or
questionable? If any of these are an issue, please send supporting evidence.
The importance of the prudent use of antibiotics should be mentioned in the report. Prudent
uses of antibiotics are necessary in animal husbandry in order to take care of animal welfare,
avoid chronic infected animals, and have a sustainable animal husbandry. Sick animals with pain
and suffering should be treated in a correct way to have a good animal welfare and avoiding
developing chronic infections. At the same time healthy animals should not be treated as part
of a routine or management system, as well as treating chronic infected animals that cannot
recover to healthy state should be avoided.
Additionally, a more comprehensive approach to the role of animal welfare in the livestock
sector should be included.
The authors point out the increase in agriculture’s use of nitrogen, but fail to mention the
potential role of livestock in cycling nitrogen through animals and providing nitrogen that then
can be used to offset the importation of new nitrogen to a watershed. The panel would do well
to look at the nitrogen cycling potential of animals and the role of manure to offset imported
nitrogen to watersheds.