International organizations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), endorse the progress shown by the Costa Rican livestock sector on the path to having environmentally friendly livestock farming, which captures carbon and eliminates greenhouse gases.
Within the framework of the seminar “On the path towards a different livestock farming in Costa Rica”, representatives of both international organizations stated that in terms of the environment, livestock farming is part of the solution and an activity that, in addition to being lucrative, is a pillar for sustainability.
Arturo Ureña, coordinator of the FAO and UNDP Scala program, pointed out that the livestock sector has a special importance for the country’s economy and also for environmental issues. The FAO considers that Costa Rican livestock farming is different and that is why they support all initiatives, especially those aimed at improving the union part and trying to unify the efforts of the thousands of producers towards a common good. The fact of having a technical standard that allows a product to be differentiated as free of deforestation is a great step, indicated the FAO representative.
The most environmentally friendly activity
During the event, the president of the Board of Directors of the Livestock Corporation (CORFOGA) Eduardo Arata stated that the livestock sector has become the economic activity that, in addition to being the most extensive and widespread throughout rural areas, is the one that has proven to be the most environmentally friendly and the one that has taken the most care of natural resources. However, it has not had national recognition, the green or environmental flag is held by other organizations that do enjoy that recognition, Arata added.
Luis Diego Obando, executive director of CORFOGA, pointed out that the country has environmentally friendly livestock farming, and that in the process of expanding this trend there is a technical standard, a certification, to tell the world that national meat It is a different product and the consumer can have peace of mind knowing that the meat they consume is produced within a framework of sustainability.
Among the actions that the rancher has developed are the proper management of the pastures, maintaining the trees, giving appropriate management to the living fences and the nutrition of the pastures and protecting, above all, the riverine forests that in turn protect the aquifers, allowing for much more regenerative livestock farming, Obando added. According to his criteria, new markets, such as the European one, currently establish production that does not deforest as a requirement to buy meat.
The CORFOGA/INTE DN 11:2022 certification standard, which contemplates the evaluation of important aspects in the management of production systems, is in a final evaluation stage and then proceeds to publish it and put it into execution.
Ecological-friendly productive activity
The certification seeks to incorporate sustainable livestock practices focused on soil conservation, integrated management of pastures and forages, arborization of livestock farms and optimization of the management of natural resources on the farm.
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