FAIRR Conversations

In part two of Feeding Resistance, Philippa Thornton, ESG Analyst at FAIRR, continues the discussion on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Joining Philippa to discuss how we can move beyond antibiotics in farming systems is Dr Nataliya Roth, from DSM, a company focused on solutions for health, nutrition and bioscience who are developing novel animal health products that help reduce the need for antibiotics, and Dr Kristen Reyher a veterinarian and Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Population Health at the University of Bristol, who works alongside veterinarians and a variety of livestock stakeholders to help reduce antimicrobial use on farms in the UK.

In the second instalment of FAIRR’s two-part series on AMR, they discuss what alternative products are available on the market and what shifts need to occur on farms in order to reduce the amount of antibiotics used.

FAIRR’s latest report, Feeding Resistance: Antimicrobial stewardship in the animal health industry, is available on their website and explores the role of animal pharmaceuticals in driving AMR, and how investors can engage the sector to drive better stewardship. 

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In this podcast, Jo Raven, Senior Manager of Research and Engagements at FAIRR is joined by Professor Will Gaze, of the University of Exeter Medical School and David Tsoupros, Vice President of Senior Research Analyst at AllianceBernstein asset management, to discuss what the UN has called the “silent pandemic” within our food system that’s threatening food security, the environment, industries from farming to pharmaceuticals, and global public health.

Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, is the emergence of superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics. It’s currently responsible for around 700 thousand deaths a year and the World Bank estimates it could wipe 11% off the world’s GDP by 2050.

Animal farming is a key contributor to this crisis, given that an estimated 70% of all antimicrobial use happens within animal agriculture. Without tackling the widespread overuse, and misuse, of antibiotics in livestock, it’s likely AMR could become the next global pandemic. 

In the first of a two-part series on AMR, this podcast looks looking at the environmental impacts of this crisis and what investors are doing to address this risk. 

FAIRR’s latest report, Feeding Resistance: Antimicrobial stewardship in the animal health industry, is available on their website and explores the role of animal pharmaceuticals in driving AMR, and how investors can engage the sector to drive better stewardship.

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Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food-production sector globally, currently accounting for over half of fish consumed by humans. In 2018, global farmed fish production hit approximately 82.1 million tonnes, and was valued at $250 billion. As our population grows, the sector is also set to play an essential role in fulfilling future protein demand sustainably. So how can aquaculture companies and investors safeguard this growth and continue to develop a more sustainable industry?

FAIRR's Faazi Adam talks to Kristina Furnes, Global Communications Manager at Grieg Seafood about the ESG risks facing the booming aquaculture industry and how fish producers are responding to challenges like the global pandemic and climate change.

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The Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index is the world’s only assessment of meat, dairy and farmed fish producers on material environmental, social and governance risks.

Today, intensive production methods have become the dominant system of livestock and fish farming – farmed poultry today makes up 70% of all birds on the planet, and 60% of all mammals on Earth are livestock, mostly cattle and pigs. This trend is increasing with a large number of Asian countries, including China, consolidating farming operations to reduce fragmentation and increase production efficiencies.

This growing trend, combined with a burgeoning global middle class demanding more animal protein, positions meat, dairy and aquaculture companies favourably for capital investment. However, research also suggests that the dramatic expansion of this industry is exacerbating climate change impacts, water scarcity, food insecurity, biodiversity loss and drug resistance.

In 2016, FAIRR’s flagship report for investors, Factory Farming: Assessing Investment Risks, identified 28 environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks linked to the livestock sector. The Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index builds on this work by analysing major protein producers on their management and disclosure of nine of the most critical risk factors facing the industry. As some of the largest publicly listed meat, dairy and aquaculture producers, most institutional investors are exposed to these companies through their equity and fixed income portfolios. The aim of this pilot Index is to provide the investment community with a tool that enables them to better understand the ESG risks facing these global listed assets, and to more easily integrate these into their investment decision making process and active shareholder engagement.

In this special podcast, Aarti Ramachandran, Head of Research & Engagements for the FAIRR Initiative, discusses who the index is designed for and how investors can use it.

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