The International Poultry Council (IPC) and the U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently signed a declaration whereby IPC will adopt five of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the poultry meat sector.

IPC committed to the sustainable development of the sector for the following five SDGs:

“The choices our industry makes today are hugely important, and this commitment is a natural progression from our active participation in the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock and the Livestock Environmental Assessment Partnership,” said IPC president Robin Horel, who is with the Canadian Poultry & Egg Processors Council. “Ensuring we develop our commitment to the SDGs as part of our ongoing cooperation is important to us. As society changes and people live and work in different ways, the industry must also provide more innovation, information and sustainability. By embracing change, we can deliver healthy and sustainable poultry meat for millions of people worldwide.”

Aviagen Group global vice president of welfare and compliance Anne-Marie Neeteson, who led the group that linked the poultry industry’s sustainability pillars to the SDGs, was on stage during the official signing, which took place at IPC’s annual meeting in São Paulo, Brazil.

Neeteson has been involved with the IPC working group on the environment and sustainability since the end of 2016, first developing sustainability pillars for the poultry meat sector and then linking them to the SDGs.

“I’m honored to be part of an agreement that holds such importance for our industry, our birds, our planet and its people,” Neeteson said. “This landmark declaration affirms that the U.N. and the global poultry sector are aligned in a commitment to the pillars of sustainable development and their widespread benefits for today and the future.”