Sustainability Increasingly Important for Agricultural Trade

July 8, 2016
Posted in: News

sustainabilityA few weeks ago, USDBC received a request from a European customer about our farming practices. Their interest was primarily in determining how we regulate various farming inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides and how we ensure compliance with the EU’s own food safety requirements. EU food safety standards are some of the most stringent in the world but most export thresholds will rely on Codex standards, which our dry bean exports meet. That said, the issue of food safety is part of a larger discussion on our sustainability practices and one that will continue to come under increased scrutiny from the EU and possibly other markets. Despite the fact that the U.S. has some of the most efficient and effective farming practices in the world, we need to do a better job of promoting the sustainable farming practices that have been part of our culture for many years.

To that end, USDBC will begin discussions in the next weeks with the U.S. Sustainability Alliance, a coalition of U.S. agricultural trade groups, farmers, fishers, and foresters committed to communicating a century of “continuous commitment to American environmental sustainability by supporting and participating in conservation programs that protect natural resources in the U.S.” The message of the Alliance is broader than conservation, providing important data on U.S. agricultural practices such as no till farming, the clean air act, and occupational safety laws. The U.S. dry bean industry has always had a strong message with regards to our production practices including the fact that dry edible beans are nitrogen fixers, returning nutrients to the soil, and utilize less water than other crops. Aligning our interests with the Alliance will allow us to broaden our outreach and continue to promote the superior qualities of U.S. agricultural products. We will be providing more information on this initiative in the weeks to come. You can find out more about the Alliance at http://thesustainabilityalliance.us/.