A new Sustainability Framework for pork

Margo Andrae, CEO, Australian Pork Limited

In early 2020, APL was focussed on the launch of our 2020-25 Strategic Plan, in which we were bold in our ambitions setting the tone for the next five years.

One of the key deliverables within our Strategic Plan was to develop a Sustainability Framework for the Australian pork sector and, I’m extremely proud to be able to share that publicly.

Our hope for this Framework is to transition those audacious ambitions into action, demonstrating our commitment to continuous improvement. Whilst our sector has a great story to tell in the areas of animal welfare, environmental footprint and community building, the new Framework gives us the opportunity to build upon these strong foundations giving us a laser sharp focus for the future.

 

What is it?

The Framework not only provides a platform for our sector’s achievements to be recognised both nationally and internationally, but it also sees us playing a more significant role in the development of the broader Australian agricultural sustainability story.

Many often talk about sustainability frameworks being a tool to safeguard an industry’s social license to operate but for us, the goal is societal celebration. With targets such as 60% of pig production using waste recycling and renewable energy and the sector adopting closed loop systems for carbon and water, we want Australians to feel good about our industry and be proud to stand behind us. The ambitions and activity we have set will not exist solely as words on a page, they will underpin everything we do and stand by as an organisation, a sector, and a team.

 

Collaboration

Developing the Framework was a hugely collaborative process which began by listening to industry and reached all the way out to the wider Australian community. Initially, staff from across the organisation fed into the plans to ensure we captured all the latest industry insights, both national and global. The APL senior team provided substantial input to ensure it reflects the high-quality strategy APL is striving to deliver and it is reflective of the APL vision to say what we do, do what we say and prove it.

From there the draft Framework underwent extensive industry consultation. This involved producers, the APL Board, state farming organisations and, via our various communications, the wider industry and government. Earlier this year we also ran dedicated community research to glean insights around what current perceptions are of our sector and what Australians want to see and hear from us moving forward.

 

The four industry Ps

Sustainability to us means producing our products in a way that supports both our industry people and our local communities; ensures the highest quality care to our pigs; leaves the planet better than we found it and supporting our producers to receive a fair return on their investment.

We’ve strategically broken down the Framework into four key pillars which we’re referring to as ‘the four industry Ps’:

  • People
  • Pigs
  • Planet
  • Prosperity

When our industry is working together, across people, pigs, planet, and prosperity, we know we can achieve a strong Australian pork industry that will provide top quality, sustainable protein into the future.

 

What's next?

As to the specific targets and activity within each of these pillars, you can read the full document here. Over the coming months I’ll provide a deeper dive into various elements of the Framework in the APN newspaper and here on our website. In the meantime, if you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to reach out to the APL team at any point.

 

Read the full Sustainability Framework

 

Australian Pork Limited (APL) has published its first Pork Sustainability Framework baseline report, following the release of its Sustainability Framework (2021-2030), which aims to enable a thriving Australian pork industry, striving to sustainably produce the pork that people love. 

Highlights from the baseline report include:

 

  • Planet: 78% of pork producers reuse effluent on crops; 49% utilise solar power; 44% recycle water on farm; and 58% compost bedding and manure.
  • People: Over 10 higher degree research students are supported by the pork industry
  • Pigs: 89% of the industry is covered by the APIQ quality assurance program
  • Prosperity: $5.3 billion contributed to the economy in 2018 (baseline)
     

Read the Baseline Sustainability Report