September roundup: FAO Livestock event, next-gen farming, primary pork news, WIAW results and engaging governments ahead of COP28

The GMA Insights Report for September 2023 contains:

• The Big Five - our must knows for September 2023:

  • The FAO Sustainable Livestock Transformation event on 25-27 September had GMA member organisations in attendance. We share the importance of these for industry ahead of COP28 and other global negotiations. Watch the event live and see the webcast archives from all sessions here

  • This month, GMA look at how the next generation of farmers need to continue to adopt new approaches if they want to run profitable and sustainable businesses in the future, and how they are using the rising power of social media to resolve the disconnect with the wider world. Read the GMA blog on this here.

  • According to AHDB, primary pork – comprising steaks roasting joints and mince – is now no longer the best performing red meat, as consumers trade down favouring more affordable meat options in an attempt. Looking from a different market’s angle, we look at the USA and Australia to see if the same is true.

  • How organisations can bridge the gap in the agenda at a Ministerial country level ahead of COP28, and engage their own country's government in the lead up to negotiations.

  • Supporting World Iron Awareness Week, led by Beef + Lamb New Zealand Inc (BLNZ), GMA share the results of our own assets amplified by member organisations, and how their own faired on social media.

• Other Sector Snapshots - best practices & shared challenges from our community including other news of interest:

  • Cultivated Meat update; In the latest EU news on cultivated meat this month, terms such as ‘steak’, ‘grill’ and ‘spare ribs’ are to be removed from plant-based foods if France’s agriculture ministry’s decree is accepted by the EU - refer to the latest development in GMA’s Key Messages doc

  • Can industry be sustainable? This is the question being asked in Belgium who says yes we can, where big and small producers are coming together in light of new EU regulations to ensure a multi-levelled approach to new sustainability efforts, including the now-mandatory sustainability monitoring tool – read more here

  • COP28: Mini-Activation Kit has been prepared by GMA in the COP28 resources folder, ready for industry to use as we approach November’s global moment – this now includes a set of Nutrition Key Messages on social tiles, as well as the engagement tracker, 101 Key Info document and a full suite of social media assets - click here

  • The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Communications Summit is to be held in line with the Protein Pact Summit on 3 October.

• Latest Commentary - important and relevant news articles and opinion pieces summarised; this month including great YouTube videos and podcast suggestions.

• Opinion - column by Diana Rodgers, RD:

  • How Uruguay is an ideal place for sustainable beef production, of which, 85% are exported to other countries

  • Uruguay trends: The main breeds of cattle are Hereford, followed by Angus; how selective breeding cattle to be more efficient at gaining weight, and; Uruguay aiming to reach the climate pledge to reduce emissions by 30% by 2030.

• Collaboration & Resources - IMS Marketing Workshop; This month GMA connect with IMS ahead of the IMS Marketing Workshop in Dublin, Ireland from 4-6 October hosted by Bord Bia. GMA's presentation will take place in the middle session entitled Barriers to Meat Consumption and we hope to see many of you there!

  • Also, GMA are preparing industry for COP28 with a mini-Activation Kit. Find the toolkit here.
    
    

• Global Industry Calendar - A complete look at events and global moments throughout 2023 which affect and involve industry.

We’d like to say a big thank you to our funders. Our GMA partners have committed funding to ensure the GMA activity and benefits are achieved. Our partners also have input into the strategic direction of GMA and it’s future. The key to all GMA activity is in the breadth of our network and therefore, the funding kindly contributed by our partners enable the activity to be open to all in the global meat and livestock sector, each bringing further insight and amplification. Thank you to our partners for their leadership, generosity and ‘for the greater good’ ethos.