Improvements to farm animal health can help tackle global challenges

That is the key message in animal health company Elanco’s latest environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report for 2023.

The report outlines progress the company has made in four key areas – animals, people, planet, and enterprise – as it strives to ensure the well-being of animals while promoting the overall health of the planet.

 Polly Davies, UK monogastric business leader at Elanco, says good animal welfare is integral to the sustainability of global communities.

 “Through collaboration with customers, suppliers, stakeholders, and employees, Elanco is proving that healthier animals can positively impact on major issues such as environmental sustainability, food security, mental health, and social isolation,” explained Ms Davies.

 “As a trusted partner in animal health, we’ve taken significant strides to ensure the well-being of animals while promoting the overall health of our planet. This year’s ESG report highlights our dedication to these principles.”

 Ms Davies says examples of Elanco’s progress include expansion of its portfolio of antibiotic alternatives and educational programmes for farmers – both of which contribute to food security and animal health – and continued use of its Health Tracking System (HTSi) by more than 11,000 poultry producers across the world.

 “The HTSi programme helps the broiler industry capture and monitor specific health and welfare indicators, enabling them to make timely, data-based management decisions to improve bird health, welfare and performance,” adds Ms Davies.

 Ms Davies explains the UK business has been awarded the ‘Investors in the Environment’ silver award.

 “This is for efforts to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce use of unsustainable resources and for responsibly managing our waste.”

 She adds: “Across the pond, our US colleagues have also helped beef and dairy producers reduce methane emissions from their cattle through the use of our new feed additive.

 “This has resulted in a 9.5 million metric tonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions between 2020 and 2023, which is the equivalent of taking 2.2 million cars off the road for a year^[1].”

 She says other achievements during the year include partnering in the launch of a new carbon marketplace to help farmers monetise their emissions reductions, 91% of all waste generated by the company being reused or recycled, and the launch of a sustainable packaging guideline.

 “As our ESG report shows, we remain committed to pushing boundaries in farm animal health and we’re proving that healthier animals can positively impact key global challenges such as food security and environmental sustainability,” adds Ms Davies.

 “We’re working to help our farming customers advance their environmental stewardship goals with solutions that will help them achieve climate neutral farming within the next decade.

 “By ensuring a healthy animal population – which in turn results in reduced emissions from agriculture – and through collaboration across the supply chain, Elanco will continue working to create a better future for animals, people, and the planet.”

The report can be found at https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/58017606-861d-00e9-35db-aff39487cc42/2a25a8af-62f4-405a-ba63-2a71c571082f/Elanco%202023%20ESG%20Report%20(1).pdf