What is the future for animal agriculture? Essay update 5 years on

This essay will argue that despite enormous challenges
and seeming progression of one crisis after another
over the last five years, this has also brought greater
clarity on the interconnectedness of agrifood systems,
and understanding of what is required to capture the
benefits of that connectivity, rather than to de-prioritise
or be defeated by it. The previous (2019) essay identified
sustainability, animal welfare and human health as critical
issues needing to be addressed by animal agriculture
industries to ensure positive futures. These remain
critical and will be further enabled through approaches
that prioritise knowledge sharing, collaboration and
circularity principles across disciplines, jurisdictions,
sectors and cultures, and especially the inclusion of
First Nations voices in animal agriculture. Although a
strategic national food plan has been somewhat of a holy
grail for Australian agrifood industries in the past, the
momentum of recent years’ focus on systems thinking
and the significance of what’s at stake, along with the
creation of practical pathways for collaboration in policy,
research, education and business, could drive this closer.
The potential inclusion of environmental and circular
economy considerations in the Australian Dietary
Guidelines can be seen as part of this evolution, and an
opportunity to valorise the superior nutritional benefits
of animal-source foods, and production systems that
protect and regenerate Australia’s natural resources. It
will also support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
12 and SDG13 relating to sustainable consumption and
climate change.