“We are addressing a changing market place where consumers are further removed from production agriculture and are increasingly concerned about where food comes from,” said Mr. Burr. “We need their trust. American producers are trying to take public trust to the next level. Sustainability is not something new to the pork industry.”

The Pork Checkoff has been focusing on The Four Pillars of Sustainability (which will be finished this year):

• carbon footprint
• water footprint
• air footprint
• land footprint

The Pork Checkoff’s work on the Carbon footprint “pillar” has been the development of a carbon footprint calculator for a pork producer’s private use. It’s a producer-friendly software tool that calculates the greenhouse gas emissions involved in sow and grow-finish production, which can help producers identify areas for potential improved efficiency.

This is the second edition of the calculator with a third on the way.

Producers can order the free Live Swine Carbon Footprint Calculator CD, in The Pork Store.

“We’ve got to protect the environment, the animals and at the same time, the producers need to make money,” said Mr Burr.

He concluded: “You’ll see changes over the next year. We’re moving away from focusing on environmental stewardship to the We Care^SM principles, which emphasize producer accountability. Those principles can be found here.