5 Questions on Sustainability

A Q&A with Andrew Holloway – Director, Dairy Technical Consultant, Elanco Animal Health

How does your organization define sustainability?

Andrew Holloway: A common definition of sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. There are three pillars of sustainability – environmental, economic and social – and they’re all interconnected.

Today, a sustainable dairy supply balances efficient production with environmental, economic and social impacts. Sustainability is the dairy industry’s ultimate goal by supporting a food system that meets society’s needs indefinitely without significant negative effects. Sustainability in the dairy industry helps ensure producers can maintain a profitable business while helping to support the communities where they operate for generations to come.

How do you think your customers view sustainability?

Andrew Holloway: According to the USDA, more than 90% of farmers are familiar with carbon markets, but only 2-3% are participating to date. We’ve found the biggest barriers to entry are having the right tools, the ability to measure and a system they can gain easy access.

By coming along side our producers, Elanco is bringing:

• Innovative products that can reduce emissions.
• Measurement tools that help measure and monitor on-farm emissions reductions and directly integrate into the marketplace for verification.
• A trusted marketplace made of food chain buyers they’re already used to working with versus an offset market where they don’t know the players and the reductions leave the industry.

Elanco is a co-creator and seed investor in Athian, the first-of-its-kind voluntary livestock carbon insetting marketplace. The insetting model developed by Athian benefits farmers, the environment and meets the growing consumer demand for sustainable choices. Dairy farmers of all sizes now have the opportunity to implement on-farm sustainability interventions, measure the impact and participate in third-party verification for their greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

What are the key components to being a sustainable business that your organization is currently emphasizing?

Andrew Holloway: Elanco’s four pillar strategy – innovation, analytics, value creation and advocacy – is to help farmers reduce, measure and monetize their emissions reductions. And making sure environmental sustainability is grounded in farmer profitability has been a key priority for Elanco.

Elanco is empowering farmers and ranchers with innovation, tools and insights to help them create value and make a difference on societal issues like climate. As we continue to expand and innovate in this space and introduce new solutions, Elanco aims to build a portfolio that reduces cattle emissions by 40-50%.

What are the industry-wide opportunities for sustainability you anticipate consumers will focus on in the future?

Andrew Holloway: The United Nations has stated livestock sustainability as one of the most significant opportunities to address methane reduction and specifically highlighted feed ingredients. According to the World Health Organization and Action Against Hunger, 60% of people are getting the wrong nutrition. At the same time, we’re seeing 50% more demand for protein in the next decade than the last.

Livestock sits at the intersection. Animals can help be part of the solution to solving some of the most pressing challenges, while giving consumers the protein they want. Gen-Z [consumers] want to feel better about their food choices, and 76% say they had increased their consumption of alternative protein due to concerns about climate change.

Are there any specific opportunities?

Andrew Holloway: Methane lasts about a decade in the atmosphere, but it’s 27 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat – so smaller reductions create a greater impact on temperature. If we can reduce methane emissions by just 20-30%, we can make a real impact and reduce climate warming, making climate-neutral farms a possibility this decade.

Photo credit: istockphoto.com/FOTOGRAFIA INC.