(NAFB) – What does it mean to be a Real Pig Farmer, and how does sustainability play into that equation? These are the questions the Pork Checkoff is building a strategy to answer, through the Real Pork Masterbrand announced in mid-2020.

Brett Kaysen, Vice President of Sustainability with the National Pork Board, says it starts first with the ability to measure sustainable actions on pig farms across America. Kaysen says the next step is to demonstrate it to customers.

Kaysen says the definition of sustainability changes depending on who is defining it. He says for pig farmers, defining sustainability starts with the pig and includes everything related to that farm.

Kaysen says the ability to measure and demonstrate on-farm actions will lead to a better consumer understanding of how pigs are raised today, leading to trust and confidence in that pork chop your eating.

When it comes to the numbers, pork producers have driven tremendous change in sustainability in the last 50-years of raising pigs.

Kaysen says the goal is to build on these improvements. Producers are being asked to track actions on their farms, as part of the effort to demonstrate their sustainability.

More information about pig farming sustainability is available on www.porkcares.com and www.pork.org