Groundbreaking global LCA guidelines are an essential step to help reduce the impact of livestock products on the environment.

April 23, 2015

2 Min Read
First of kind Feed LCA Guidelines released

The International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF), American Feed Industry Assn. (AFIA) and European Compound Feed Manufacturers' Federation (FEFAC) announced the official release of the "Global Feed Life Cycle Assessment" (LCA) guidelines developed by the U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO)-led Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership (LEAP).

IFIF, AFIA and FEFAC are founding members of LEAP, which aims to improve how the environmental impacts of the livestock industry are measured and assessed.

These groundbreaking global LCA guidelines are an essential step to help reduce the impact of livestock products on the environment, the organizations said.

"The guidelines provide practical and science-based recommendations to assess the environmental performance of feed supply chains. They carry an international scientific consensus based on the input of 20 international experts in the drafting process and a thorough international public review which took place ahead of this official release," said Dr. Frank Mitloehner from the University California-Davis and former chairman of LEAP.

"These guidelines represent a significant milestone for the global feed industry," IFIF chairman Mario Cutait said. "Sustainability is one of the key priorities for IFIF and these global guidelines will enable consistent and credible environmental assessments with a view to reduce the environmental footprint of livestock products."

Cutait added, "we can now work with our partners on the agri-feed chain to develop practical tools for feed and livestock producers to assist them in further reducing the environmental footprint of their activities."

"LEAP is an international and a multi-stakeholder process," AFIA president and chief executive officer Joel G. Newman said. "It means that the LEAP/FAO Feed LCA Guidelines reflect a common vision among partners, including FAO, national governments, private sector organizations as well as (non-governmental organizations). This adds value to these globally harmonized metrics and will help meet our customers' expectations."

"We took into account the main recommendations of the Product Environmental Footprint Guide published by the European Commission Common during the development of the FAO/LEAP Guidelines," said FEFAC President Ruud Tijssens. "From a European perspective, the FAO/LEAP guidelines are therefore the logical and relevant starting point to develop a standard aligned with the recommendations of the European Commission."

The guidelines can be accessed on the LEAP website: http://www.fao.org/partnerships/leap/en/.

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