Proving sustainability progress of Irish agriculture on a global stage

Mick Houlihan

Senior Manager, Agricultural Sustainability, Bord Bia

Irish farmers are making real improvements in key farm sustainability areas. Recognising them can promote sustainable farming practices globally.

Bord Bia represents Irish agriculture on several international forums focused on agricultural sustainability. These forums are hosted by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform. Participation in these forums allows Bord Bia to highlight the sustainable farming practices of our members on a European and global stage.  

Sharing best practices in sustainable agriculture 

The SAI Platform is a nonprofit organisation to facilitate sharing of knowledge and best practices to support the development and implementation of sustainable agriculture practices. It was established in 2002 by Unilever, Danone and Nestle; and membership is open to companies, agencies and organisations involved in agriculture and food production.  

Delivering sustainable beef from farm to fork 

The European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability (ERBS) is an organisation focused on European beef sustainability from farm to fork. Members are drawn from across the beef value chain — from meat processors to food manufacturers. The ERBS unites and coordinates sustainability programmes, run by its members, around a common agenda to deliver measurable and positive impacts for the beef sector. They aim to: 

• Preserve the effectiveness of animal medicines in beef farming; 
• Improve animal health and welfare; 

• Improve the resilience of beef farming; 
• Improve the environmental footprint of farming systems. 

Activities with farmers in each country are coordinated by a platform — with Bord Bia as the recognised platform in the Republic of Ireland. France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom each have a platform within the ERBS. Membership requires each platform to report every two years on progress against the outcome targets.  

Their report aims to give the customer the confidence to do business with the dairy processor.

Making sustainable dairy the norm 

The Dairy Working Group comprises dairy processors, food manufacturers and dairy industry representatives — all working together to align approaches to dairy sustainability. To recognise existing approaches at national and company levels, the Dairy Working Group developed the Sustainable Dairy Partnership (SDP).  

The SDP is a business-to-business reporting framework that allows dairy processors to demonstrate to their customers that they have identified and prioritised all relevant sustainability measures for their business. Their report aims to give the customer the confidence to do business with the dairy processor. 

Reaching sustainability goals 

By supporting these forums and sustainability efforts, agriculture in Ireland can set an example in a wider capacity and encourage more farmers and organisations to reach sustainability goals.