Need for Awareness on ESG in the Poultry Sector

Just like any other sector in the country, the poultry & livestock sectors have a large environmental footprint – energy, water and waste. There is a need to address this not only after the fact, but include this in the design and planning of the processes, transportation and end use of the products from these sectors, said Mr. Naveen Pasuparthy, President of the Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association (KPFBA).

World over, industry, both in services and product, are focusing more and more on internalizing the environmental, social and governance aspects, to play a responsible role as well as improve bottom line costs and image, while reducing liabilities downline.

Five years ago, India's ESG regulations, which are essentially a framework to evaluate the sustainability and ethical impact of a company or investment, were minimal or voluntary. ?Today, they are comprehensive and mandatory, and considered to be at par with global sustainability and reporting standards, he mentioned.

Starting 1 April 2023, SEBI made it mandatory for the 150 largest publicly listed entities to report on business responsibility and sustainability practices using a core framework comprising a set of 42 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for mandatory reporting in annual reports. It also requires prospective investors to obtain assurances on KPIs from accredited ESG ratings providers on country-specific parameters, such as emission reductions, stakeholder interests, workforce safety, and leadership and governance. Shortly after, SEBI mandated the BRSR Core framework (as sub-set of the BRSR) for the same entities, to provide assurances for nine KPIs in their value chain, i.e., those entities that cumulatively comprise 75% of the listed entity’s purchases or sales. SEBI is likely to extend the regulation to the 1,000 largest publicly listed companies by 2027.

Giving context to the ESG in poultry and livestock sectors in India, he said that they come in varied sizes and ownership. While most poultry companies in Karnataka are family-owned and mostly not public listed companies, with the growth of this industry in the years ahead, there is a need for better understanding on ESG issues to ensure that there is a trend towards responsible production, keep all interests in mind – environmental, social, statutory, and image.

In this context, it is proposed that to bring together the heads of the Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association, for a series of awareness sessions on ESG.

Kindly register to attend this important series of Webinars, on ESG & Poultry Sector before EoD of 14 March 2024. The webinar is open to all, with limited seats and we want all our members to get educated on the topic. It deals with the Environmental, Social, and Governance around the Poultry Sector. The webinar has four sessions of 1 hour each on 18th, 20th, 26th & 28th March from 10:30 to 11:30 am.

For more details on click here https://www.dhirubhai.net/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7172590818346590208