Farms.com Home   News

PIC's Banks Baker on the role of genetics in a more sustainable pork industry

No matter your stance on climate change, greenhouse gas emissions or the role agriculture plays in the issue, one thing is certain. The clock is ticking for all of agriculture to build their own solution because consumers, industry stakeholders, corporations and governments are all lining up to do it for us.

Banks Baker with the Pig Improvement Company (PIC) started his presentation to the delegates at Banff Pork Seminar 2023 with a look at the increasing focus globally on reducing emissions levels, the use of taxes and levies on imports, and the direction retailers are heading when it comes to the sustainability of the products they sell.

"Agriculture is being asked to do a lot - animal health and welfare, antimicrobial stewardship, food affordability, positive climate action," says Baker. For example over 1,400 companies are working with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)- think McDonalds, Target, Cargill, Tyson, Walmart, Maple Leaf Foods, JBS - to set their own corporate goals and targets. Now SBTi companies represent over a third of global market capitalization, worth $38 trillion USD.

Click here to see more...

Trending Video

Episode 120: How Starting Slow Leads to Grazing Success

Video: Episode 120: How Starting Slow Leads to Grazing Success

Explores rotational grazing and how it varies from farm to farm, shaped by factors like rainfall, water access and labour. It covers the benefits like healthier soil, improved water quality and more productive pastures, while also addressing the challenges. Through the experiences of three cattle producers, it shares practical ways to get started, such as resting sections of pasture, planning around water sources and using temporary fencing to stay flexible while finding what works best.