Brea Stricker’s Post

Today, 105 civil society organizations from around the world are urging major U.S. banks to halt their financing of industrial livestock production. An open letter was delivered to financial leaders including Bank of America, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase, stressing the critical role these institutions play in exacerbating the climate crisis by funding meat, dairy, and feed giants. 🚨 The letter outlines the severe environmental impacts of industrial livestock production, including significant contributions to global warming and biodiversity loss, while also highlighting the harm inflicted on animal welfare and human rights. 📢 The organizations call for banks to recognize the industry’s high emissions, set and implement 1.5°C targets for the agriculture sector, and address the broader social and environmental harms caused by this industry. 🌍 This action is part of a larger global campaign aiming to hold financial institutions accountable for their role in industrial livestock production. The time for change is now. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eVPGc2bJ #Sustainability #ClimateAction #ResponsibleBanking

https://lnkd.in/giKwemZ2 Great to see Agriculture leading the way here.  Whether you believe in the need for reduction or not, I think this highlights the ability of the Ag industry to be a leader in today’s changing world.

The ARA recently highlighted the top policy priorities in Washington. 📄 Here are the 4 main advocacy efforts: ✅ 1. Reauthorizing the Farm Bill Protecting the tools farmers need to deliver a secure and affordable food supply chain by advocating for the inclusion of the Plant Biostimulant Act of 2023, Increased Technical Service Providers Access Act of 2023, the preservation of the crop insurance program and more in the 2024 farm bill. ✅ 2. Protecting Modern Ag Technologies Codifying oversight of pesticide registrations and regulations at the EPA and state agencies to ensure the federal government makes decisions based on sound science ✅ 3. Relieving Transportation & Supply Chain Challenges Advocating for modernizing the nation’s freight rail, trucking and inland waterway systems ✅ 4. Ensuring an All-of-the-Above Energy Approach Advocate for federal energy policies that increase domestic natural gas production, reduce U.S. manufacturing costs for crop input materials and develop and use renewable fuels to reduce dependence on foreign energy sources. -- #agretail #agriculture #agribusiness

Just read a compelling article on the urgent need for change in European agriculture. 🌍 The new report presented to Ursula von der Leyen emphasizes that business as usual is no longer an option for farmers if we want to tackle climate collapse and economic challenges. It’s refreshing to see such a broad consensus on sustainable practices and fairer income support for small- and medium-sized farmers. Let’s hope this sparks real change! #SustainableAgriculture #EUFarmPolicy #ClimateAction #FoodSystems

“As a bipartisan organization, we stand ready to work with President-elect Donald Trump, his Administration, and Members of Congress to advance an agriculture sector that enhances American farms’ and ranches’ profitability and resilience. Our focus, as always, remains on finding solutions for farmers and ranchers that are good for the bottom line and the environment. Enhancing our understanding of agricultural data, removing barriers for sustainably grown, American products, and driving innovation through the Federal Crop Insurance Program, are just some of the methods we can use to make that happen. We look forward to continuing to encourage bi-partisan efforts to advance conservation agriculture towards economic and environmental resiliency.” -- Todd Barker, Chief Executive Officer of Meridian Institute, which leads the AGree Initiative

For 7 months, I have been heavily negotiating with 28 other stakeholders on the future of European agriculture - some of you may know it as the mystical "Strategic Dialogue" convened by EC President Ursula Von der Leyen. The recommendations have just been published: https://lnkd.in/e_66m_h4 By nature, it is a consensus document. Had I written it on my own, it would read very differently. But I am happy to put my face to it. It recognises the need for an urgent transition, and calls for a comprehensive approach to bring everyone along in a fair way, from farmers to consumers. I really invite people to take the time to read it, especially Part C where the (many) recommendations are. The idea is to move forward in a coherent way. So NO cherry picking. That said, I am particularly happy about: - Committing to keep and properly enforce EU environmental laws - Limiting income support to those who actually have income problems - Increasing budget for environmental measures and resourcing the implementation of the Nature Restoration Law - Calling for consumption policies to accelerate the transition to healthier diets - from too much meat and dairy to more plant-based - while supporting the adaptation of the livestock sector. - Dealing with the regional overconcentration of livestock - Calling for introducing policy tools to reduce GHG in the sector (with sound principles and safeguards) Environmental issues aside, I am particularly proud of the chapter about workers' and human rights, and the attention paid to the most vulnerable consumers. It of course includes various ideas for improving farmers position in the food chain, the quality of life in rural areas, smarter implementation etc. Let's hope that President von der Leyen will show the courage to embrace it and act on it. I call on all the stakeholders at the table to go out an explain the logic to their constituents. Farmers, consumers, workers, entrepreneurs, and tax payers all deserve a future-oriented way forward. Acting on this consensus can do a world of good, for Europe and the world, well beyond food and farming. #agriculture #StrategicDialogue #EUfarming #restoration

Today, 105 civil society organizations from around the world are urging major U.S. banks to halt their financing of industrial livestock production. An open letter was delivered to financial leaders, including Bank of America, Citi, and JPMorganChase, stressing the critical role these institutions play in exacerbating the climate crisis by funding meat, dairy, and feed giants. The letter outlines the severe environmental impacts of industrial livestock production, including significant contributions to global warming and biodiversity loss, while also highlighting the harm inflicted on animal welfare and human rights. The organizations call for banks to recognize the industry’s high emissions, set and implement 1.5°C targets for the agriculture sector, and address the broader social and environmental harms caused by this industry. This action is part of a larger global campaign aiming to hold financial institutions accountable for their role in industrial livestock production. The time for change is now. 🌍 Learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/eVPGc2bJ #Sustainability #ClimateAction #ResponsibleBanking

EU Reflection Group urges overhaul of the agriculture sector A report released this week by the president of the European Union suggests that “the EU should undertake a major overhaul of its Common Agricultural Policy to subsidise farmers based on their income rather than the size of their farms.” The report also urged consumers to eat less meat. The report states that Europeans eat more animal protein than scientists recommend and says support is needed for consumers to “rebalance” diets toward plant-based proteins. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen commissioned the report and said the results would feed into a planned vision for agriculture that she will present in the first 100 days of her new mandate. “We share the same goal,” said Von der Leyen. “Only if farmers can live off their land will they invest in more sustainable practices. And only if we achieve our climate and environmental goals together will farmers be able to continue making a living.” https://lnkd.in/dYpeCPnm

The food & agriculture sector is on the frontlines of our climate crisis, with extreme weather driving $21 billion in U.S. crop losses in 2023 alone. 🌪️🌾 As public funding for climate-smart agriculture faces potential rollbacks, private sector leadership is more important than ever. Our new report, “Funding the Future: Evaluating public & private investments in climate-smart row crop agriculture,” uncovers key gaps—and opportunities—for the food and ag industry to scale meaningful climate action while building supply chain resilience. Read the report here: https://www.edf.org/Z6a9 What We Found:  💸 A massive funding gap in the global agriculture sector’s climate transition, with current investment levels far below the $200B-$1.2T needed annually.  🌾 In U.S. row crops, overinvestment in practices like cover cropping and no-till, which must complement—rather than replace—critical reductions in CO2 from on-farm fossil fuel use and nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer.  ✅ Untapped opportunities for companies to partner with farmers, join the electrification future and build the business case for sustainable agriculture. The time to act is now. Scaling private sector investment in climate-smart solutions will not only address #GHG emissions but also mitigate supply chain risks and secure farmer livelihoods. #Sustainability #ClimateAction #ResilientFoodSystems 

Shambles. USDA -- I hope you get on-farm oversight authority. It is central to any progress on the climate-front. I can't believe how brazenly Tyson Foods is getting away with this without publishing any proof. "“Because Congress did not provide USDA with on-farm oversight authority that would enable it to verify these types of labeling claims, companies must use third-party certifying organizations to substantiate these claims,” the spokesperson wrote in an email, directing Inside Climate News to the third-party verifier or Tyson for more information." "“They’re being incredibly obstinate about sharing anything right now,” said Matthew Hayek, a researcher with New York University who studies the environmental and climate impacts of the food system. “Speaking as a scientist, it’s not transparent and it’s a scandal in its own right that the government can’t provide this information.”" "This lack of transparency from the agency worries environmental and legal advocacy groups, especially now that billions of dollars in taxpayer funds are available for agricultural practices deemed to have benefits for the climate. The Biden administration’s signature climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, appropriated nearly $20 billion for these practices; another $3.1 billion is available through a Biden-era program called the Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities. “This is an important test case for USDA,” Faber said. “If they can’t say no to a clearly misleading climate claim like ‘climate friendly’ beef, why should they be trusted to say no to other misleading climate claims? There’s a lot of money at stake.”" "Last year, the Center for Biological Diversity submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the USDA, asking for details about funding to support “low carbon” beef. The agency’s response was heavily redacted and the Center is now appealing." ^^^What??? "Silvia Secchi, a natural resource economist at the University of Iowa and outspoken critic of U.S. agricultural policy, said the environmental groups, universities and corporations taking money from the USDA for climate-focused efforts should all be subject to the same rules. “USDA should have a transparent methodology that’s applicable to everyone—the outsourcing, the monitoring, the verification—for all these groups that have incentives to make things look better than they are,” Secchi said. “There’s no transparency. How are they actually going to verify that farmers are reducing nitrogen? Are they getting GPS coordinates for tractors every day of the year? I think it’s complete bullshit. They’re only looking at select indicators, not the whole system.”" https://lnkd.in/eQkuHEUE