House lawmakers met with sustainability leaders from across the country in a hearing titled, “Climate-Smart From Farm To Fork: Building An Affordable And Resilient Food Supply Chain.”
Here is what they had to say:
Congresswoman Kathy Castor says, “The climate crisis is challenging our ability to put food on supermarket shelves and dining room tables across America for every person along the food chain. From producers to consumers to everyone in between can make our food supply chain more sustainable, and each step in the supply chain represents an opportunity for innovation.”
ReFED Executive Director, Dana Gunders says, “Food is the number one contributor to landfills today, and landfills are the third largest source of methane. All told, the climate impact of any included in the U.S. is equivalent to 58 million cars annually. Wasting less food increases supply, which makes food more affordable. Often people jump to solutions like composting, but preventing food waste is far more effective from a financial and a climate perspective.”
North American Renderers Association President, Kent Swisher says: “The U.S. rendering industry is essential to the reduction of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. It’s a solution that directly addresses food waste by finding practical uses for a wide range of leftovers that consumers consider inedible. Rendered proteins and fats provide essential nutrients and energy to keep animal agriculture and pets healthy and growing. In addition, rendered protein meals are a source of calcium and phosphorus, which can be used in animal feeds and organic fertilizer, and help reduce the reliance on imported fertilizer.”
Melinda Cep with the National Audubon Society says, “People who farm, ranch, fish, and produce timber feel the effects of climate change firsthand. Global experts have concluded that one of the most important available actions we can take is the implementation of sustainable agriculture and forestry practices. The Conservation Forestry Research and Extension policies and programs authorized in the Farm Bill are important to delivering those promises. 46 percent of valid applications for a single federal conservation program went unfunded, meaning producers submitted and were interested in implementing $1.1 billion worth of voluntary conservation proposals above and beyond what the program could deliver in just one year. Such work is only part of what is needed to stem the tide of climate change and biodiversity loss. If we can scale up these programs to meet their demand, we can work together to improve climate, biodiversity, and water outcomes while simultaneously supporting a resilient supply chain and thriving communities.”
President Biden says he is not backing down from his climate initiatives. This, after Democratic Senator Joe Machin struck down a package of clean energy incentives and Farm Bill conservation funding last week.
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