Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 6/2/17


After weeks of will-he-or-won't-he speculation about whether President Trump would keep the U.S. as a party to the Paris climate agreement, his decision earlier this week to withdraw from the global pact has prompted mixed responses from the ag and meat industries.

In a statement released Thursday, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue gave the move a thumbs-up: "President Trump promised that he would put America first and he has rightly determined that the Paris accord was not in the best interests of the United States," Perdue said. "In addition to costing our economy trillions of dollars and millions of jobs, the accord also represented a willful and voluntary ceding of our national sovereignty. 

"At USDA, we rely on sound science and we remain firmly committed to digging ever deeper into research to develop better methods of agricultural production in [a] changing climate. Floods, droughts and natural disasters are a fact of life for farmers, ranchers and foresters. They have persevered in the past, and they will adapt in the future — with the assistance of the scientists and experts at USDA."

Many food company execs feel differently, however, as shown in comments made by Cargill Inc. Chairman and CEO David MacLennan, who said, "It is extremely disappointing. Exiting international accords like the Paris Agreement will negatively impact trade, economic vitality, the state of our environment and relationships amongst the world community — and it positions the U.S. as an outlier on this important issue."

Companies on their own have made significant investments in infrastructure and building improvements intended to mitigate environmental impacts. Large companies such as Smithfield, Tyson and Cargill issue annual sustainability reports detailing their efforts, and those are expected to continue.

And Eric Mittenthal, vice president of public affairs for the North American Meat Institute, said in a statement emailed to Meatingplace, "As an industry we’ve been focused on environmental stewardship for many years before the Paris agreement was signed as we’ve developed a sustainability toolbox, host an environmental conference every year focused on best practices and award those showing leadership among the examples of our initiatives. We will continue to seek out ways to reduce our environmental impact whether the U.S. is a part of the Paris agreement or not."

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