SaoPauloSeminar

International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council

IPCSeminars

Carbon Standards in Agricultural Production and Trade

October 26, 2010
São Paulo, Brazil

Governmental technical standards as well as food safety, animal and plant health standards have been commonplace in agricultural production and trade for many years, and are also established by the private sector. Environmental standards for food and agricultural products (including biofuels) are a newer phenomenon. Such standards seek to ensure that agricultural products are produced sustainably, given the serious constraints facing the agricultural sector, in particular the shrinking availability of arable land and limited water resources.

More recently, growing concerns about greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and land use change have led to a large number of carbon standards, some of them based on “life cycle analyses,” which seek to measure the entire carbon footprint of a particular product from its production to its consumption, and sometimes also seek to encompass indirect impacts.

The International Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Council (IPC) is pleased to announce an international seminar to examine the trade implications of rapidly evolving sustainability standards to be held in São Paulo on October 26. Please join high-level representatives from agribusiness, farm associations, governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, and academia from around the world for a discussion on carbon standards in agricultural production and trade.

Topics to be examined include:

Are standards an effective method for promoting sustainability?
What’s the interplay between public and private standards?
Who has a seat at the table when standards are set?
Is harmonization a realistic and feasible goal?
Issues surrounding biofuels sustainability standards
Carbon footprinting – is there a common understanding of what a life cycle analysis should entail?
Monitoring and verification

IPC is greatful for support from São Paulo's Federation of Industries (FIESP)

Agenda

October 26, 2010 - Seminar

8h30 Registration

9h00-9h30 Opening Session:

Paulo Skaf, President, FIESP (invited)
The Honorable Marcelo Regunaga, IPC (confirmed)
The Honorable João De Almeida Sampaio Filho, Secretary of Agriculture, São Paulo (invited)

9h30-10h00 Keynote Address: The Honorable Wagner Goncalves Rossi, Minister of Agriculture, Brazil (invited)

10h00-12h00 Session I: The Debate over Biofuels

Seen by many as an excellent vehicle for reducing reliance on fossil fuel, biofuels are criticized by others as not making a sufficiently large contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Particular controversy surrounds the discussion on whether and how to calculate “indirect land-use.”

Marcos Jank, President and CEO, UNICA (confirmed)
EU speaker - tbc
Sonia Yeh, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California Davis (confirmed)

Moderator: Roberto Rodrigues, Coordinator of the Getulio Vargas Foundation Agribusiness Center; President of the Superior Council of Agribusiness of São Paulo’s Federation of Industries; IPC Member (confirmed)

12h00-12h30 Keynote Address:

The Honorable Tim Groser, Minister of Trade and Minister Responsible for International Climate Change Negotiations, New Zealand (confirmed)

12h30-13h30 Lunch

13h30-15h30 Session II: An Analysis of Life Cycle Analysis

Life-cycle analyses (LCAs)– a calculation of a product’s total carbon footprint – are not only being applied to biofuels, but also to agricultural products more generally, with the private sector taking the lead.

Jason Clay, Vice President, World Wildlife Fund. Value Chains and Carbon (confirmed)
Kimberly Crewther, Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd. LCAs for Dairy (confirmed)
Livestock - tbc
Wal-mart-tbc

Moderator: Roberto Waack, President of ARES Institute for Responsible Agribusiness (invited)

15h30-15h45 Coffee

15h45-17h45 Session III: The Role of Governments and Trade Implications

The Honorable Eduardo Munoz Gomez, Chairperson of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (invited)
Ron Steenblik, OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate (invited)
Andre Nassar, General Director, ICONE (confirmed)
Hasit Shah, Kenya Horticultural Export Association (confirmed)

Moderator: Pedro de Camargo, former Secretary of Agricultural Production and Trade; IPC member (confirmed)