Communication and the triple economic, social and environmental sustainability of the white pork sector in Spain have been the protagonists of one of the summer courses at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), in which the most effective strategies have been addressed. to convey to society with official data the true reality of this sector.
During the course, organized by the Interprofessional Agri-Food and Pig Association of Capa Blanca (INTERPORC), the different speakers demonstrated with figures and results “that there is a false story about swine activity based on fake news and images from a past that no longer exists.” .
Between 1990 and 2022, it has reduced, per head of cattle, its GHG emissions by 43.6% and ammonia emissions by 49%. Today, pork only accounts for 2.58% of the total GHG emitted in Spain
In contrast, scientific data show a sector that “is an international example in the implementation of clean technologies, biosafety, animal welfare and food safety.” The result “is a sustainable sector economically, socially and environmentally.”
Economically, “its positive trade balance is 8.4 billion.” Socially, “it generates 415,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs; with a large share of female employment and the constant creation of opportunities for young people; in addition to being fundamental for employment in the small municipalities of Spain.” And environmentally, its results speak for themselves. Between 1990 and 2022, it has reduced, per head of cattle, its GHG emissions by 43.6% and ammonia emissions by 49%. Today, pork only accounts for 2.58% of the total GHG emitted in Spain.
Based on this reality, different presentations addressed how to adequately convey this information to consumers, public administrations and society in general.
The inauguration of the course was carried out by Dr. Montaña Cámara, professor of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the UCM; and Miguel Ángel Higuera, director of ANPROGAPOR, who made a presentation of the Spanish pork sector.
Next, Sandra Sotillo, CEO of TrustMaker, presented ‘ESG Communication as a Lever of Trust’; Rosa Mª Cámara, doctor assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the UCM, spoke about ‘Identification of elements of sustainability in food’; Cristina Marí, from INTERPORC’s sustainability department, explained ‘Triple sustainability in the pork sector’; and Lucho Galán, director of Making Known – Strategic Communication, spoke about ‘False myths vs. reality in the pork sector’.
The latter also participated together with Antonio González de Bulnes, researcher, university professor and head of Biotechnology at Grupo Jorge, in a Round Table moderated by Montaña Cámara.
Finally, the closing of the course was carried out by Cristina Marí, who thanked all the students for their attendance and invited them “to adequately communicate the truth of a sector, the white-coated pig, and of some people, its professionals, who have set their sights on sustainability is their DNA and that, with total honesty, and with pride in a job well done, they contribute their grain of sand every day with their efforts to leave future generations a better and more sustainable planet.”
The closing ended with a tasting and cutting of white-layered ham by the master cutter Mayla Gutiérrez.
