FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE September 2024 7 As part of its ongoing commitment to the industry, the NGFA continues to offer regular FSMA animal food training courses and recently launched five feed distance learning courses that provide information about FSMA-related requirements. The NGFA’s efforts also extend to emerging feed safety threats, such as Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), and foreign animal diseases, such as African Swine Fever virus (ASFv). The NGFA is engaged in stakeholder forums to evaluate and address the potential transmission of viruses through feed and promote the use of meaningful biosecurity practices. ACCESSING GLOBAL MARKETS Food security depends on the ability to trade and move grain and feed products. As much as 30 percent of all grain and oilseeds and their associated products produced globally move into international trade – a trade that is critically important to farmers, ranchers, food processors and exporters, and consumers across the globe. The NGFA advocates a proactive U.S. trade agenda focused on expanding market access and fostering the use of science-based health and safety rules to create global opportunities for U.S. products. With the challenges associated with negotiating free trade agreements, the NGFA strongly supports the Agriculture Export Promotion Act of 2023 (H.R. 648) and Expanding Agricultural Exports Act of 2023 (S.176) to increase funding for the U.S Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMDP). The NGFA opposes efforts to strip China of its Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status. Revoking PNTR for China would have a substantial impact on U.S. GDP, exports, and prices, as well as the global economy. Significantly, China, Mexico, and Canada account for one out of two dollars of U.S. agricultural exports, according to USDA data. BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE There is a growing focus on reducing carbon emissions within U.S. agriculture and the national economy. Through the Biden administration’s efforts, the United States has set a goal to achieve a 50 percent reduction from 2005 levels in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The U.S. Environmental Protect Agency (EPA) currently attributes about 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to agriculture, emissions primarily generated from animal agriculture (methane) and agricultural soil management (nitrous oxide). U.S. and global sustainability initiatives have the potential to significantly impact the grain and feed industry over the next decade. As sustainability criteria are standardized and adopted, practices associated with animal agriculture will change and the industry will need to provide nutritional solutions that provide enhanced feed efficiency, safeguards for animal and public health, and environmental benefits. The feed industry has been engaged in sustainable practices since its inception by recycling safe, nutritional products as feed for animals, and has a great story to tell. Moving forward, the industry will need to be proactive and engaged in stakeholder forums to identify and formalize the indicators and metrics that will shape sustainability into the future. To better respond to this evolving issue, the NGFA has formally established a Sustainability Committee. The committee currently consists of industry experts who provide recommendations on how the NGFA should address both public and private sustainability initiatives that are relevant to our members. The NGFA also is engaged in stakeholder organizations and forums that are influencing what sustainability means for our industry. CONCLUSION By facilitating efficient trade, promoting innovation, ensuring feed and food safety, accessing global markets, and building sustainable goals, the NGFA and its more than 800 member companies are working every day to combat food insecurity and hunger worldwide. These efforts are driven by the commitment of our volunteer industry leaders and the dedication of the people who transform America’s harvest into food, feed and fuel.
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