Meat producers group vows to meet Paris Agreement climate goals in 2020s

Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The North American Meat Institute, a nonprofit industry trade group, announced on Tuesday that all of its members have committed to meeting emissions goals set out in the Paris climate agreement by the end of the 2020s.

The institute, which represents about 95% of U.S. meat producers, said it will help members reach the goals and they will be authenticated by independent experts.

The emissions goals are in line with the Paris Agreement's central tenet of restricting climate change to below 1.5 degrees Celsius of preindustrial levels.

The institute announced the goals with a broader sustainability framework called the Protein PACT, short for People, Animals, and Climate of Tomorrow, which is a partnership of 12 U.S. agricultural groups.

"Our comprehensive sustainability framework will drive momentum and generate technical support for meat packers and processors of all sizes to establish independently approved science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while producing the leading source of safe, high-quality protein in Americans' diets, sustaining healthy animals and a thriving workforce along the way," NAMI President Julie Anna Potts said in a statement.

NAMI said the emissions goals will be approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative.

The institute also outlined other targets, including animal care, feeding needy American families and cutting workplace injuries in half.

"By 2025, 100% of Meat Institute members who handle animals will pass third-party audits for animal care during transportation and handling and all members will require all suppliers to implement mandatory employee training and follow species-specific standards for animal care," the institute said in a statement.

Meat plants have faced problems with COVID-19 outbreaks since the start of the pandemic.

Consumers are gravitating toward veganism as a lifestyle choice -- a trend that's expected to rise along with the global meat substitute market. Animal and environmental welfare are top contributing factors.

Though reports show that the global food system is responsible for nearly a quarter of all greenhouse gases, governments at COP26 haven't announced plans to reduce meat production yet.