On July 15th, president and CEO of the North American Renderers Association (NARA), Kent Swisher, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Climate Crisis on the sustainability benefits of rendering. Swisher was one of four witnesses testifying and the sole representative of the agriculture sector. He was joined by Dana Gunders, executive director, ReFED, Dr. Melinda Cep, vice president for natural solutions and working lands, National Audubon Society, and Elly Brown, co-executive director, San Diego Food System Alliance.
The hearing, “Climate Smart from Farm to Fork: Building an Affordable and Resilient Food Supply Chain,” covered topics that renderers and those in the rendering industry have long been eager to discuss, as the recognition of agriculture as a key part of the climate change solution continues to grow. In his testimony, Swisher described rendering as “an essential pathway in creating a sustainable food system.”