Tyson Foods

Background

Tyson Foods is one of the worldโ€™s four largest meat producers,1Laura Reiley. โ€œBidenโ€™s climate change plan may not nix cheeseburgers, but science says beef should be on the chopping block,โ€ The Washington Post, April 26, 2021. Archived July 16, 2021. producing approximately 20 percent of U.S. beef, pork and chicken, according to the companyโ€™s website.2โ€œWhat we do,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 28, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/gf1h6 

Founded in 1935 and headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, Tysonโ€™s business divisions include breeding, raising, and processing of chickens, cows, and pigs, and the production of frozen and refrigerated food products.3โ€œTyson Foods, Inc. history, profile and history video,โ€ CompaniesHistory.comArchived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/PLG31 

In Tysonโ€™s 2020 annual report, the company recorded 139,000 employees and $43.2 billion in sales. During the same period, it recorded the capacity to slaughter 8 million cows, 24 million pigs, and 2 billion chickens at 204 US-based slaughter facilities owned or leased by Tyson.4โ€œUnited States Securities and Exchange Commission: Washington, D.C. 20549: Form 10-K,โ€ U.S. Securities and Exchange CommissionArchived July 2, 2021

Since 2019, Tyson has been launching plant-based products5Elaine Watson. โ€œFrom โ€˜made with plantsโ€™ to plant-basedโ€ฆ Tyson eliminates eggs from Raised & Rooted nuggets, drops โ€˜blendedโ€™ burger,โ€ FoodNavigator-USA, December 7, 2020. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/ao84Y  and investing in start-ups developing meat and seafood alternatives.6โ€œTyson invests $2.2 million in in-vitro meat start-up,โ€ vegconomist, May 4, 2018. Archived January 17, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/JyUoc 

Environmental organizations GRAIN and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) estimated in a 2018 report that Tysonโ€™s total yearly emissions total 118.1 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).7โ€œEmissions impossible: how big meat and dairy are heating up the planet,โ€ Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, July 2018. Archived July 13, 2021.

Between 2000 and 2020, Tyson Foods spent $25 million on lobbying and $3.2 million on donations to federal political candidates. During the same period, Tyson frequently lobbied the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on climate-related and environmental topics, issuing 114 quarterly lobbying reports filed with the Secretary of the Senateโ€™s Office of Public Records (SOPR).8Oliver Lazarus, Sonali McDermid and Jennifer Jacquet. โ€œThe climate responsibilities of industrial meat and dairy producers,โ€ Climatic Change, March 25, 2021. Archived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/NybZc 

As of 2021, Tyson Foods has been fined more than $58 million for environmental-related violations since 2000, according to data from the Good Jobs First non-profit organisation.9โ€œViolation tracker parent company summary,โ€ Good Jobs FirstArchived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/niK85 

Stance on Climate Change

In 2021, Tyson announced a goal of achieving net-zero deforestation by 2030 and net-zero emissions, including scopes 1, 2 and 3, by 2050.10โ€œTyson Foods targets 2050 to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions,โ€ Tyson Foods, June 9, 2021. Archived June 18, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/9pFsC  The company stated that its emissions reduction target had been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a partnership between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).11โ€œAbout us,โ€ Science Based TargetsArchived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/dyx2i 

The company plans to achieve its net zero goal by transitioning to 50 percent renewable energy across Tysonโ€™s U.S. operations by 2030,12โ€œTyson Foods targets 2050 to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions,โ€ Tyson Foods, June 9, 2021. Archived June 18, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/9pFsC  encouraging grain farmers to adopt more efficient fertilizer practices13โ€œTyson Foods sets two million acre land stewardship target,โ€ Tyson Foods, April 3, 2018. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/2NrnU  and facilitating more sustainable beef production through improved grazing management.14โ€œTyson Foods becomes first U.S. food company to verify sustainable cattle production practices at scale,โ€ Tyson Foods, September 9, 2020. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/FESoP

In 2017, Tyson Foods announced plans to reduce the companyโ€™s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 percent from 2016-2030.15โ€œSustaining our world: 2017 sustainability report,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 16, 2021  The companyโ€™s climate target was accepted by the SBTi in 2018. In its 2019 sustainability report, it said it was โ€œthe first U.S. protein company in the food and beverage sector to receive such an approval.โ€16โ€œ2019 Sustainability report,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 16, 2021.

At the time, Tysonโ€™s climate targets included โ€œsetting facility-level energy and emissions targets and investing in a more fuel-efficient fleet.โ€17โ€œGoals update,โ€ Tyson Foods. Archived June 25, 2021. Archive.ph URL: โ€‹โ€‹https://archive.ph/tGRs1 

In 2017, Tysonโ€™s then-CEO Tom Hayes stated that the company was โ€œcommitted to helping to create a more sustainable food system, which involves cleaning up its factory farms and investing in more plant-based proteins.โ€18Jade Scipioni. โ€œTyson Foods CEO: the future of food might be meatless,โ€ Fox Business, March 7, 2017. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/2nEra 

Tyson first referred to climate change in its 2005 sustainability report, stating that โ€œgreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are important due to their potential impact on the global climate.โ€ In 2004, the company joined Climate RESOLVE, an emissions reduction program developed by the Business Roundtable, which represents U.S. CEOs.19โ€œLiving our core values: 2005 sustainability report,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 16, 2021 The same year, it became an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) โ€œClimate Leaders Partner,โ€ a voluntary program to โ€œdevelop an aggressive corporate-wide GHG reduction goal to be achieved over 5 to 10 years.โ€20โ€œClimate Leaders Partnership Agreement,โ€ United States Environmental Protection Agency, September 2006. Archived July 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/C7ZXB 

Livestock Emissions

The company first reported its emissions in 2007, stating that its GHG emissions during the calendar year 2004 were 5.53 million metric tonnes (Mt), referring to its scope 1 and 2 emissions. It described these as comprising โ€œdata related to facility fuel and electricity usage, transportation fuels, refrigeration usage, and anaerobic biogas production.โ€21โ€œsustainability itโ€™s in our nature: 2007 sustainability report,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 16, 2021

In Tysonโ€™s 2020 sustainability report, the company reported 6.174 Mt CO2e in scope 1 and 2 emissions and said it was โ€œperforming at or above targetโ€ with regard to reducing its emissions by 30 percent by 2030.22โ€œThe formula to feed the future: 2020 progress report,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 17, 2021 In its 2019 sustainability report, the company reported 5.73 Mt CO2e in scope 1 and 2 emissions, noting that their scope 1 emissions increased from 2018 to 2019 due to โ€œthe acquisition of new facilities.โ€ The company did not explain the increase in emissions from 2019 to 2020.23โ€œ2019 Sustainability report,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 16, 2021.

According to Tysonโ€™s 2017 sustainability report, 90 percent of the companyโ€™s emissions come from its supply chain and are not owned by the company, known as scope 3 emissions.24โ€œSustaining our world: 2017 sustainability report,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 16, 2021 

In contrast to Tysonโ€™s estimates, environmental organisations GRAIN and IATP estimated in 2018 that Tysonโ€™s total yearly emissions are 118.1 Mt CO2e, using the UN Food and Agriculture Organisationโ€™s (FAO) Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM) 2.0, which covers scopes 1โ€“3 emissions.25โ€œEmissions impossible: how big meat and dairy are heating up the planet,โ€ Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, July 2018. Archived July 13, 2021.

Scope 1 and 2 emissions stem from direct activities of an organisation or activities under their control and from the production of energy used by the organisation.26โ€œWhat is the difference between scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions?โ€ Compare Your Footprint, November 2, 2018. Archived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/bvtk7.  Scope 3 emissions are all other indirect emissions from a companyโ€™s activities, originating from sources it does not own or control, including emissions caused by land use, land-use change, and farms that supply meat companies.27Dr. Meryl Richards. โ€œMeasure the chain: tools for assessing GHG emissions in agricultural supply chains,โ€ Ceres. Archived July 13, 2021

According to a 2021 study by New York University researchers, meat companies โ€œemphasize mitigating energy use, with limited focus on emissions (e.g., methane) from animal and land management and land-use change, which make the biggest warming contributions in the agricultural sector,โ€ noting that โ€œthe majority of […] Tysonโ€™s emissions are the result of land-use changes for feed production in places like the Brazilian Amazon.โ€28Oliver Lazarus, Sonali McDermid and Jennifer Jacquet. โ€œThe climate responsibilities of industrial meat and dairy producers,โ€ Climatic Change, March 25, 2021. Archived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/NybZc 

Until 2017, the company refused to disclose information to the climate charity CDP, stating that it had decided to communicate emissions data โ€œthrough alternative but equally effective meansโ€ and prefered โ€œto continue working with EPA regarding GHG inventory information because of the Agencyโ€™s expertise and long-term management responsibility for climate change.โ€29โ€œ2009 sustainability report: rooted in tradition, growing responsibly,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 16, 2021 In 2021, CPD gave Tyson scores of C and B- for their disclosure regarding โ€œForestsโ€ and โ€œClimate Change,โ€ respectively.30โ€œSearch and view past CDP responses: Tyson Foods,โ€ CDPArchived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/yAKmq 

In 2009, an investment research firm claimed that Tyson produces substantial climate-heating methane emissions. Tyson rejected this claim, writing in their 2009 annual report that โ€œmanure management accounted for [only] 4.7 percent of N2O [nitrous oxide] and 7.5 percent of CH4 [methane] emissions in the U.S. during the 2007 reporting year,โ€ according to EPA figures.31โ€œ2009 sustainability report: rooted in tradition, growing responsibly,โ€ย Tyson Foods.ย Archived June 16, 2021.ย 

Pollution

Research by the Union of Concerned Scientists revealed in April 2020 that, between 2018 and 2022, over 371 million pounds of pollutants โ€“ including nitrogen, phosphorus, chloride, oil and cyanide โ€“ were released into waterways by 41 of Tysonโ€™s slaughterhouses and mega processing plants.32ย โ€œSpeech by President von der Leyen at the European Parliament Plenary on the conclusions of the European Council meetings, in particular the special European Council meeting of 1 February 2024,โ€ European Commission, February 6, 2024. Archived June 26, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/1mV6j This was found in wastewater โ€“ which also contained bacteria, faeces, and animal blood โ€“ that was directly disposed into streams, rivers, and wetlands across 17 states of the U.S.

Key Narratives

Tyson Foods promotes a number of narratives to justify its business model. Find out more about how the meat industry is climate-washing its activities in our investigation. And you can read counter-arguments and criticisms of these narratives in our factsheet.

โ€˜Animal agriculture isnโ€™t a serious driver of climate changeโ€™

โ€˜Our feed comes from responsible sourcesโ€™

In Tysonโ€™s 2020 sustainability report, the company announced that its international expansion โ€œhas resulted in the need to reassess the risk of deforestation across our operations and supply chain.โ€ According to Tyson, an assessment by Proforest, a sustainability nonprofit focused on the agricultural sector, concluded that โ€œ94% of our land footprint is at no-to-low risk of being associated with deforestation and โ€œapproximately 3% is at medium-to-high risk,โ€ while โ€œthe sourcing origin could not be identified for the other 3%.โ€33โ€œThe formula to feed the future: 2020 progress report,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 17, 2021

In 2020, Tyson announced it was partnering with the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) to purchase credits for soybean meal that โ€œwill be used to feed chickens in our supply chain in regions that typically source from high risk areasโ€ and with the non-profit organisation Proforest to conduct a deforestation risk assessment.34Flora Southey. โ€œTyson Foods commits to sustainable soy in poultry supply chain,โ€ Food Navigator, January 2, 2020. Archived January 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/uPxIx 

The RTRS has come under criticism, however, with a 2021 Greenpeace report describing the programโ€™s claims of supporting responsible feed production as โ€œmisleading, allowing companies a green image even if they are still contributing to human rights abuses and/or the destruction of nature.โ€ It noted that โ€œthe vast majority of RTRS soya sales are based on creditsโ€ and that credit buyers โ€œthus might not know whether the producers of the actual products they are buying are engaging in deforestation or other ecosystem destruction.โ€35โ€œDestruction: certified,โ€ Greenpeace, March 2021. Archived July 11, 2021

โ€˜Grazing supports biodiversityโ€™

In 2020, Tyson announced plans to start sourcing cattle from a verification program titled โ€œBeefCARE,โ€ which includes โ€œpractices such as having a cattle grazing management plan to help promote vegetative growth and diversity.โ€36โ€œTyson Foods becomes first U.S. food company to verify sustainable cattle production practices at scale,โ€ GlobeNewswire, September 9, 2020. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/RKkuH 

The US-based environmental group, the Center for Biological Diversity, states: โ€œThe ecological costs of livestock grazing exceed that of any other western land use.โ€37โ€œGrazing,โ€ Centre for Biological DiversityArchived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/DAcFu  A 2020 study by researchers from the University of Alberta warned that scaling up livestock grazing to meet future food demand could threaten the biodiversity of herbivores and pollinators worldwide.38Alessandro Filazzola et al. โ€œThe effects of livestock grazing on biodiversity are multi-trophic: a meta-analysis,โ€ Ecology Letters, 2020.  Archived July 13, 2021

โ€˜Meat is needed for a healthy diet and to feed the worldโ€™

โ€˜Meat is needed to feed the worldโ€™s growing populationโ€™

As part of the Coalition for Global Protein, an initiative launched by Tyson, the company co-produced a video that states: โ€œResearch shows that the world isnโ€™t getting enough [protein] and there are life-long consequences. Thatโ€™s today. The global population is growing fast. If we canโ€™t meet the protein demand of today, it will take substantial changes to meet the demand of the future. With a challenge this big, we canโ€™t just look to one solution. A challenge this big demands we consider every option.โ€ At this point, the video displays a list of foods including chicken, tofu, pork, seeds, beef, legumes, and eggs.39โ€œImagining new and creative solutions for the future of sustainable protein,โ€ video uploaded by Coalition For Global Protein. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Tyson also claims during the video that inhabitants of Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe are not meeting the dietary requirement of 52g of protein per day. 

Unlike Tysonโ€™s estimates, the latest protein supply figures from FAO, for 2013, recorded average protein consumption of 69.1g per capita per day in Africa, 77.57g in Asia, 86.09g in South America, and 102.06g in Europe.40โ€œFood supply โ€“ livestock and fish primary equivalent,โ€ Food and Agricultural Organization of the United NationsArchived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/NbEYh  The World Resources Institute (WRI), a sustainable development organisation, argues that overconsumption of protein is already occurring in all of the worldโ€™s regions, and particularly in wealthy countries.41โ€œPeople are eating more protein than they needโ€”especially in wealthy regions,โ€ World Resources Institute, April 20, 2016. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/EOBpD 

โ€˜Meat is an exceptional source of nutrientsโ€™

The company states that โ€œnutritional fads come and go but most nutritionists agree that protein is an essential part of a well-balanced dietโ€42โ€œHelping people eat well,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 28, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/DBG8d  and describes meat as โ€œan important part of a healthy diet, providing essential nutrients including amino acids, vitamins and minerals.โ€43โ€œDietary guidelines,โ€ Tyson Foods. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/XyJ81 

Nutrition associations, including the British Nutrition Foundation, approve of meat-free diets, however.44Plant-based diets,โ€ British Nutrition Foundation, June 2019. Archived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/Afaf1  According to the American Dietetic Association, โ€œappropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.โ€45Winston J Craig, Ann Reed Mangels and American Dietetic Association. โ€œPosition of the American Dietetic Association: vegetarian diets,โ€ American Dietetic Association, July 1, 2009. Archived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/JLA9T

โ€˜Innovations in animal agriculture will tackle climate changeโ€™

โ€˜We are producing less emissions-intensive meatโ€™

Tyson reported that it had reduced its GHG emissions intensity from 190kg of CO2e emitted for every 1,000 pounds of product produced in 2018 to 180kg in 2019.46โ€œ2019 Sustainability report,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 16, 2021.

Environmental organizations GRAIN and IATP argue that โ€œarguments for emissions intensity reduction in the absence of targets to reduce the livestock sectorโ€™s total emissions are dangerousโ€, because they allow a companyโ€™s absolute emissions to continue increasing. The organizations also argue โ€œthat the large gains in โ€˜efficiencyโ€™ realised by industrial farming in the twentieth century will be hard to repeat without major ecological, social and health impacts.โ€47โ€œEmissions impossible: how big meat and dairy are heating up the planet,โ€ Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, July 2018. Archived July 13, 2021.

โ€˜New grazing techniques can sequester carbonโ€™

In 2020, Tyson announced plans to start sourcing cattle from a verification program titled โ€œBeefCARE,โ€ designed to support carbon sequestration through a โ€œcattle grazing management plan.โ€48โ€œTyson Foods becomes first U.S. food company to verify sustainable cattle production practices at scale,โ€ GlobeNewswire, September 9, 2020. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/RKkuH 

Environmental scientists from the University of Oxford have, however, criticised the idea of using cattle grazing to capture carbon, claiming that this can only offset 20-60 percent of annual average emissions from grazing ruminants, concluding that โ€œgrass-fed cattle remain net contributors to warming.โ€49โ€œGrazed and confused?,โ€ Food Climate Research NetworkArchived June 30, 2021.

โ€˜Technological innovations will cut emissionsโ€™

As part of Tysonโ€™s goal to reduce its emissions by 30 percent by 2030, the company is conducting a pilot program to develop more sustainably-grown crops through the use of โ€œcloud-basedโ€ agricultural technologies50โ€œ2019 Sustainability report,โ€ Tyson FoodsArchived June 16, 2021. and transitioning to โ€œrenewable fuels like biogas from [Tysonโ€™s] wastewater treatment operations.โ€51โ€œTyson Foods and EDF launch partnership to accelerate sustainable food production,โ€ Tyson Foods, January 15, 2019. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/AUzqg 

The arguments echo those of the pesticides industry, which claims that so-called precision agriculture can be a climate solution. Critics argue they are unlikely to be sufficiently effective and can cause other problems.

Lobbying

According to a 2021 study by New York University researchers, Tyson has frequently lobbied the EPA and U.S. Congress on climate-related and environmental issues since 2000, issuing 114 quarterly lobbying reports filed with the Secretary of the Senateโ€™s Office of Public Records (SOPR), as well as contributing $3.2 million to political campaigns since 2000. The study pointed out that โ€œtaken as a share of each companyโ€™s total revenue over that period, Tyson has spent double what [U.S. oil giant] Exxon has on political campaigns and 33% more on lobbying.โ€52Oliver Lazarus, Sonali McDermid and Jennifer Jacquet. โ€œThe climate responsibilities of industrial meat and dairy producers,โ€ Climatic Change, March 25, 2021. Archived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/NybZc 

According to OpenSecrets.org, Tyson spent $27.88 million on lobbying between 1998 and 2020.53โ€œTyson Foods: Annual Lobbying Totals: 1998 โ€“ 2020,โ€ OpenSecretsArchived July 18, 2021. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/wip/73Gza During the same period, Tyson lobbied the following agencies:54โ€œAgencies Lobbied By Tyson Foods, 2020,โ€ OpenSecretsArchived July 18, 2021. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/wip/7seqs

  • Commodity Futures Trading Commission
  • Dept of Agriculture
  • Dept of Commerce
  • Dept of Defense
  • Dept of Energy
  • Dept of Health & Human Services
  • Dept of Homeland Security
  • Dept of Labor
  • Dept of State
  • Dept of the Interior
  • Dept of the Treasury
  • Dept of Transportation
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • Executive Office of the President
  • Federal Maritime Commission
  • Food & Drug Administration
  • National Oceanic & Atmospheric Admin
  • Office of Management & Budget
  • Office of US Trade Representative
  • US Coast Guard
  • US Fish & Wildlife Service
  • White House

In 2020, Tyson contributed $393,311 to federal candidates, 50 percent to Democrats and 50 percent to Republicans, including:55โ€œTyson Foods: Recipients, 2020,โ€ OpenSecretsArchived July 18, 2021. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/d9pmB

In 2018, Tyson contributed $299,305 to federal candidates, 62 percent to Republicans and 38 percent to Democrats, including:56โ€œTyson Foods: Recipients, 2018,โ€ OpenSecretsArchived July 18, 2021. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/wip/zrQss

In 2019, the National Cattlemenโ€™s Beef Association, an umbrella organisation Tyson is a member of, successfully lobbied to disband a Maryland state committee focused on studying the carbon intensity of different foods, including beef and dairy, arguing that the committee was โ€œoperating with a political agenda.โ€57Georgina Gustin. โ€œAs Beef Comes Under Fire for Climate Impacts, the Industry Fights Back,โ€ Inside Climate News, October 21, 2019. Archived July 18, 2021. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/SXGBh

In 2009, Tyson lobbied against the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, a climate bill approved by the House of Representatives that would have established a cap-and-trade system but failed in the Senate in 2010. According to a 2021 study by New York University researchers, Tyson argued that โ€œthe bill would increase food and feed prices and reduce the international competitiveness of their businesses and successfully secured provisions that set the cap for agriculture operations lower than for other industries.โ€58Oliver Lazarus, Sonali McDermid and Jennifer Jacquet. โ€œThe climate responsibilities of industrial meat and dairy producers,โ€ Climatic Change, March 25, 2021. Archived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/NybZc 

Affiliations

Tyson is a member of the North American Meat Institute, a sponsor of the Animal Agriculture Allianceโ€™s 2013 โ€œCollege Aggies Onlineโ€ program,59โ€œGeneral (Packer/Processor) Members,โ€ North American Meat InstituteArchived July 18, 2021. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/wip/aPpAH designed to teach college students how to advocate for the livestock sector, and has co-sponsored the National Pork Producers Councilโ€™s PorkPAC since 1987.60โ€œTYSON FOODS JOINS AS SPONSOR OF COLLEGE AGGIES ONLINE SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION,โ€ Animal Agriculture Alliance, September 4, 2013. Archived July 18, 2021. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/wip/3XZnP

In 2021, Tyson stated that its emissions reduction target had been approved61โ€œTyson Foods targets 2050 to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions,โ€ Tyson Foods, June 9, 2021. Archived June 18, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/9pFsC  by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a partnership between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It also stated that the company was collaborating with the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry and Eggs and the International Poultry Welfare Alliance.62โ€œAbout us,โ€ Science Based TargetsArchived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/dyx2i 

Tyson is a โ€œpartnerโ€ of the World Economic Forum. During the 2020 WEF meeting in Davos, Switzerland,63โ€œOur Partners,โ€ World Economic ForumArchived July 18, 2021. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/wip/lovvg the company launched the Coalition for Global Protein to โ€œunite stakeholders across the food and agriculture sector to identify and implement new and creative solutions to sustainably feed the worldโ€™s growing population.โ€64Alyssa Danigelis. โ€œTyson Launches Global Sustainable Protein Coalition,โ€ Environment + Energy Leader, January 23, 2020. Archived July 18, 2021. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/wip/wy3yx

The same year, Tyson announced plans to start sourcing cattle from a verification program titled โ€œBeefCARE,โ€ a program recognised by the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef that partners with U.S. certification and verification company Where Food Comes From and environmental organisation The Nature Conservancy.65โ€œTyson Foods becomes first U.S. food company to verify sustainable cattle production practices at scale,โ€ Tyson Foods, September 9, 2020. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/FESoP

Also in 2020, Tyson co-sponsored the Honor the Harvest (HTH) Forum hosted by U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA) (formerly known as U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance). Other sponsors of the event included Bayer, Cargill, Corteva, McDonaldโ€™s, the National Pork Board, and Nestlรฉ Purina Petcare.66โ€œU.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action Releases Report Spotlighting Agricultureโ€™s Role in Reaching UN Sustainability Goals at Annual Honor the Harvest Forum,โ€ Cision PR Newswire, September 17, 2020. Archived July 18, 2021. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/wip/w0gqw

Tyson is a member of the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC), a food industry umbrella organisation formed in 2019 that provides โ€œtools and opportunities for producers and corporations […] to meet goals for increased soil carbon sequestration, net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, improved water quality and water use conservation.โ€ Other ESMC members include ADM, the American Farm Bureau Federation, Cargill, Corteva, Danone, General Mills, McDonaldโ€™s, Nestlรฉ, Soil Health Institute, Syngenta, The Nature Conservancy, American Soybean Association, American Farmland Trust, Farmers Business Network, Growmark, Mars, NCBA, the National Farmers Union, National Corn Growers Association, The Fertilizer Institute, and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).67โ€œA summary of Farm Bureau supported climate proposals,โ€ Nebraska Farm Bureau. Archived March 16, 2021. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/wip/5IORL

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