From a news release
As stewards of the land and caretakers of animals, Ontario pork producers have long understood the importance of adopting sound environmental and social practices to grow their business. Striving to meet the evolving needs of the marketplace, they continue to challenge themselves to further enhance their commitment to sustainable farming.
With the release of its inaugural Social Responsibility Report, Ontario Pork has taken an important step in addressing the growing expectations of consumers, retailers and policymakers in areas that measure economic, environmental, social and governance performance.
“We are proud to be the first livestock group in the province to commit to setting benchmarks that will allow us to monitor the improvements of the sector over time,” said Amy Cronin, Chair of Ontario Pork. “There is great appetite from a wide range of audiences to learn more about what we do and we needed to tell the stories that shape our industry in a way that was meaningful and transparent. Our members have embraced this process and they are invested in leaving a positive legacy for future generations.”
Based on internationally recognized methodologies and standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA) guidelines, the social responsibility approach of Ontario Pork is based on six dimensions:
Farm Management
Economic Performance
Environmental Stewardship
Animal Care and Food Safety
Relationships with the Community
Workers’ Well-Being
As a major contributor to the province’s economic growth, Ontario Pork is engaging the entire sector in its social responsibility journey through a set of commitments to be achieved over the next three years.
The organization is focused on bringing greater awareness about social responsibility through teaching tools and training resources, while consistently assessing new trends and best practices.
One of the highlights of the report was the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that was carried out to measure the carbon and water footprint of pork production in Ontario.
The results, which show that Ontario is on par with the continental average and compares favourably to the world average, provide a baseline to benchmark current practices and impacts, and identify opportunities for progress on climate and water challenges.
“Few people are more dependent on soil and water than farmers,” added Cronin.” Preserving ecosystems and minimizing negative environmental impacts of on-farm activities are part of a pork producer’s DNA. By measuring progress towards specific targets and goals, our industry is showing its ongoing commitment to being best in class and building strong relationships throughout the entire value chain.”
To view the full Social Responsibility Report and get more details about the data and methodology, visit Ontario Pork website atwww.ontariopork.on.ca
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