Here is a brief summary on a very exciting development at the World Bank. I spent several years working on this project with a group at the bank who were interested in changing its policy of funding big projects for developing livestock feedlots in developing countries. The progress was slow and, at times, reversed. Now, there seems to be a firm new policy and I am delighted. (The real credit for this should go to a couple of nameless guys at the bank who took professional risks to invite me and others to become involved.) What made this project much more possible were the earlier publications of John Robbins, Les Brown at the World Watch Institute and others.

So, occasionally, it seems there is progress in this field and I don’t mind publicizing it! The World Bank should be congratulated on its courage to establish this new policy. I think we can all take heart that we are heard from time to time.

Summary of New World Bank Strategy

The latest livestock strategy published by the World Bank involves some rather significant new directions for the bank. Although the publication came out in late 2001, in May 2002 there was an internal meeting in the bank to “launch” the strategy, and the following points were highlighted:

• The bank will not finance large-scale commercial, grain-fed feedlot systems, including milk, pork and poultry.
• The bank used to see for itself a role in supporting increased meat production, but no longer.
• The bank is not happy with the impacts of the “livestock revolution” on environment and equity.
• The four main challenges for the bank in the livestock sector are poverty reduction, environmental management, food safety and food security.
• Critical environmental problems are nutrient loading from industrial systems, and deforestation.
• A new offshoot in environmental management is animal welfare, about which the bank will have to start a dialogue with concerned groups. (Sounds like an invitation for some of you to get in touch with relevant bank people!)
• An “increasingly important issue” is the phase-out of poultry batteries and sow crates.
• The bank should support subsidies to improve animal welfare.

Colin Campbell is a nutritional biochemist from Cornell University.