US pork producers address environmental sustainability

Pork producers in the US use a range of management practices to control harmless emissions that damage the Earth’s ozone layer and contribute to the warming of our planet. To showcase the ways in which America’s pig meat business is committed to environmental sustainability, a video published in line with Earth Day shows how producers can actively curb excess environmental damage.

“On our farm, we are constantly aware of the importance of protecting the environment,”​ said Keith Schoettmer, America’s Pig Farmer of the Year in 2015 and a pig farmer from Tipton, Indiana. Schoettmer is featured in the video from the National Pork Board and said: “As farmers, our livelihood is tied directly to the land, and good stewardship is fundamental to any successful farm.”​

Some of the practices pork producers use to reduce carbon emissions and improve environmental sustainability include using pig manure as a natural fertiliser for crops, which offsets the need for petroleum-based fertilisers. Windbreaks are another important feature used in the pig farming industry to control the foul smells emitted from industrial pork farms.

The board said it was developing tools to empower pork producers to become greener. A revised carbon calculator is in the final stages of development and, apparently, this tool will help producers identify areas on farms where environmentalism can be optimised.