8th ESG Advisory Board (2025)
Date: February 19, 2025
Participants:
- [Experts]
- Takeshi Kamigochi
Member of the Board, Executive Officer, Senior Vice President & COO, J-OIL MILLS, INC. - Mari Kogiso
Co-CEO, SDG Impact Japan - Peter David Pedersen
Representative Director, Next Leaders' Initiative for Sustainability (NELIS)
Independent Outside Member of the Board, Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd.
- [Internal Members]
- Kazuo Kawamura
Chief Executive Officer, President and Representative Director - Shinji Matsuoka
Chief Sustainability Officer, Managing Executive Officer - Youichirou Yamagata
General Manager, Corporate Development Dept. - Maiko Yamashita
General Manager, Corporate Communication Dept. - Jirou Morita
General Manager, Sustainability Management Dept.
- Themes:
- Topic Changing the primary industry (dairy farming) - Regenerative agriculture
Topic Changing the primary industry (dairy farming) - Regenerative agriculture
(1) What is regenerative agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture holds great potential for improving the quality of homegrown feed and contributing to the stability of dairy farming operations
Expert opinions
- Regenerative agriculture is rapidly expanding, and major global food manufacturers are making substantial worth tens of billion yen investments to ensure sustainable sourcing.
- In the dairy farming sector, the importance of “Regenerative dairy farming” is increasing. Improving the QOL (Quality of Life) of cows leads the quality of raw milk and an increase in the lifetime milk yield per cow.
- The Meiji Group should establish new standards by executing the five visions that regenerative agriculture aims for: “Improving quality and yield of pasture,” “Enhancing cow health,” “Improving raw milk quality,” “Reducing the working hours of dairy farmers,” and “Reducing environmental negative impacts like GHG emissions.
(2) Why regenerative agriculture is necessary: Regenerative agriculture initiatives by the Meiji Group
Regenerative agriculture is expected to be an important means to improve the economic efficiency of dairy farmers, enhance raw milk quality, and ensure sustainable milk yield
Expert opinions
- Identifying stakeholders involved in regenerative agriculture and demonstrating their profits will expand supporters and collaborators for these initiatives.
- Rule-making will be key in the development of regenerative agriculture. By creating demand over the next five to ten years, the Meiji Group can drive supply forward.
- Awareness of animal welfare is increasing among younger generations. It is effective to appeal them, including consideration for dairy cows.
- In addition to showing outcomes (such as soil regeneration, cow health, and solving the decline in the number of farmers) and establishing a roadmap, the Group should present a vision from a global perspective, not just a local one.
