Anthropogenic climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing mankind today. Irreversible consequences of planetary warming are fast approaching, impacting the most disaffected parts of the globe the most. People are also becoming more concerned about social injustices, and it is for these reasons that ESG factors are becoming increasingly prominent in today’s investment landscape. This is especially applicable to agri-investing, as many environmental and social factors are intrinsically linked to agricultural activities. Not only are there financial penalties and reputational damage for failing to consider ESG risks but incorporating ESG into investments has also been shown to improve performance.
ESG Due Diligence
ESG due diligence involves the assessment of risks and opportunities relating to the environmental, social and governance implications of an investment. Before undertaking an investment in agribusiness, there are a range of factors to investigate.
Environmental issues to consider include:
- Pollution and resource use
- Biodiversity and ecosystem services
- Climate change
Social issues to consider include:
- Community health and safety, particularly in underprivileged areas
- Labour practices and working conditions
- Land rights and tenure
Governance issues to consider include:
- Executive pay
- Track record of management
- Shareholder’s rights
Author
Anthropogenic climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing mankind today. Irreversible consequences of planetary warming are fast approaching, impacting the most disaffected parts of the globe the most. People are also becoming more concerned about social injustices, and it is for these reasons that ESG factors are becoming increasingly prominent in today’s investment landscape. This is especially applicable to agri-investing, as many environmental and social factors are intrinsically linked to agricultural activities. Not only are there financial penalties and reputational damage for failing to consider ESG risks but incorporating ESG into investments has also been shown to improve performance.
ESG Due Diligence
ESG due diligence involves the assessment of risks and opportunities relating to the environmental, social and governance implications of an investment. Before undertaking an investment in agribusiness, there are a range of factors to investigate.
Environmental issues to consider include:
- Pollution and resource use
- Biodiversity and ecosystem services
- Climate change
Social issues to consider include:
- Community health and safety, particularly in underprivileged areas
- Labour practices and working conditions
- Land rights and tenure
Governance issues to consider include:
- Executive pay
- Track record of management
- Shareholder’s rights
Author
Malachy Mitchell's featured publications
Mergers & acquisitions
Private equity finds fertile ground in Africa
The difficulty of raising capital for the agri-food sector in sub-Saharan Africa has created an opportunity for private equity investors.
Sustainability & ESG
Emerging Markets Drive Feed Industry Growth
Strong population growth and rising incomes suggest a positive growth outlook for the animal feed industry in both emerging and developing regions.
Risk and Reward in the Saudi Poultry Sector
Risk and Reward in the Saudi Poultry Sector
The Middle East poultry market is seen as attractive for investors but competition and disease risks need to be minimised.
Food safety & security
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and food security
How can the impact of foreign investment be optimised to maximise benefits in terms of food security, while at the same time minimising risks to all stakeholders?
Agribusiness
Coffee producers place faith in regenerative agriculture
Regenerative agriculture is seen as a genuine solution as coffee producers battle to protect their crops. But what makes regenerative agriculture so compelling a prospect?
Food safety & security
Health of children at the heart of UN food safety summit
The UN Food Safety Summit will assess why the food system continues to cause poor diet, malnutrition, undernutrition, obesity and child mortality prevails.
Food & beverage
Home delivery and food service to continue upward post-COVID trends
Home delivery has exploded during the pandemic and now looks set to be one of many enduring post-COVID trends.
Agtech & foodtech
Agtech continues to respond to climate change threat
Investment in agtech is growing as the world scrambles to contain the climate change threat. Discover more Insightful blogs on agrifood.
Sustainability & ESG
Could plant-based foods be tipping point for food and climate security?
Greater consumption of plant-based foods could prive a tipping point in accelerating decarbonisation and improving food security.
Food & beverage
Hunger on the rise following price surge
The jump in global food prices in recent months is testing the capacity of the food system, and a UN report has noted a subsequent rise in the rate of hunger worldwide.
Sustainability & ESG
US report has implications for food sector worldwide
A new report has placed urgency on the US government to reshape the country’s broken food system, but its findings are equally relevant on a global basis.
Sustainability & ESG
Mixed response to EU Common agricultural policy reform deal
Two weeks ago, the EU reached agreement on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform for 2023-2027.
Agribusiness
Agrifood sector fully aware of climate change urgency
Crop diseases have been increasing in severity and scale due to the ongoing impact of climate change.
Food & beverage
Malachy Mitchell, food and agribusiness expert, speaks about the future of food
Farrelly & Mitchell MD Malachy Mitchell speaks about the future of food and opportunities arising from the dominant trends.
Mergers & acquisitions
Dedicated agribusiness expertise feeds successful mergers & acquisitions
Technological innovations and emerging trends are creating opportunities for mergers and acquisitions in the agrifood space.
Food safety & security
Carbon labelling’s time has come
Legislators are looking at carbon labelling to help consumers make more informed choices to reduce carbon emissions.
Food & beverage
What are the prospects for plant-based milks post-pandemic?
The rise of plant-based milk looks set to continue unabated. As we head into a post-pandemic world what are its prospects?
Agribusiness
The future of wheat
Wheat will remain a staple crop for humanity but the capacity for new production systems and potential new uses is set to be the subject of intense research worldwide.
Agribusiness
Benefits of completing commercial & technical due diligence
Malachy Mitchell explores how Soft Due Diligence leads to hard result. Presenting our approach and the benefits thereof
Food safety & security
Food security: global trends & opportunities seminar
Malachy Mitchell, Managing Director, Farrelly & Mitchell - provides an overview of the agri-food investment environment
Mergers & acquisitions
Food & agribusiness trade & investment opportunities
Malachy Mitchell reveals how balancing demand generation and ensuring supplies to meet demand is key for success
Mergers & acquisitions
IPO – a journey of value creation for food companies
We are seeing increasing interest by many of our clients in Europe and the Middle East in IPOs, the next stage in their company’s development.
Food safety & security
Supply chains & food security: assessing the impact of disruptive forces
Thanks to coronavirus the spotlight is again on human supply chains & food security. This report looks at what we can learn from past disruption & best practice.
Food & beverage
Can UK farming become greener after the CAP?
Will Brexit provide an opportunity for the UK to develop more radical and greener farm policies? Will they work?
Agtech & foodtech
Can crop mix and AgTech bridge the gap for developing countries?
Research, based on 30 years of geographic data, found that developing countries have capacity to match the agriculture productivity of rich nations.
Agtech & foodtech
AI and Robots: How will they shape the future of farming?
The use of Artificial Intelligence is set to grow rapidly throughout the food supply chain and will offer many opportunities for investors over the coming years.
Food safety & security
Five ways COVID:19 is improving our food supply chains
COVID:19 has brought food security to the fore in the policy agenda of many countries, but agrifood experts have been calling for reforms for a long time.
Sustainability & ESG
Soil sequestration’s role in the battle against climate change
The US government and large food corporations are backing soil sequestration as a tool in the battle against climate change.
Sustainability & ESG
The governments role in fostering ESG policy in agriculture
The potential for ESG policy in shaping the future of agriculture is fully within the grasp of governments.
Food safety & security
The role of smarter food supply chains in curbing food waste
SMART supply chains offer significant potential to reduce waste within the food chain and help limit the impact of the food industry on the environment.
Sustainability & ESG
2021 ESG trends: The cost of failing to integrate sustainability into agribusinesses
Trends show continued momentum behind ethically run food. Failing to integrate sustainability into an investment has consequences.
Food & beverage
Why ESG will continue to influence food industry trends
ESG remains one of the world's strongest food industry trends as sustainability and environmental concerns increasingly inform purchasing decisions.
Agtech & foodtech
Tapping into the potential of agriculture and decentralised energy
The intersect between decentralised energy and agriculture fits with the world’s ambitions on climate and food security
Agribusiness
Access to finance – transforming the story of African agribusiness
Agriculture finance is a contentious issue in Africa, as it continues to face challenges in unlocking the capital required to meet its potential.
Sustainability & ESG
A dilemma for ESG investors: Balancing local food autonomy and global supply chain advantages
Food production has a wide range of impacts which are difficult to measure, making it unclear whether individual investment in food meet ESG criteria.
Food & beverage
Immediate challenges kick in as ‘Brexit effect’ hits food supply chains
Brexit’s impact on food supply chains is already apparent, and the system will have to adapt a re-engineered resiliency.
Food safety & security
Pandemic increases Middle East food security focus
Agrifood investment steps up in response to COVID disruption. Middle East nations step up activities to shore up food security.
Food & beverage
Saudi Arabia water supply gains as food challenges mount
Saudi Arabia is proactive in protecting its water supply in terms of its relationship with agriculture, with land acquisiton and agtech key.
Agtech & foodtech
Shifting minds to shape the future food system from farm to fork
Scope for improvement in agriculture and food outcomes within the grasp of the Middle East and African nations who work together and pool their collective strengths.
Agribusiness
Can African agribusiness access the credit needed to transform?
African agriculture funding has always proven difficult. Significantly the technology now exists to support access to investment.
Food safety & security
Sustainability a key industry ingredient for food security
The role sustainability plays in a healthy and balanced food supply chain for food industry stakeholders is increasingly recognised.
Food safety & security
How to reduce food waste and loss: a different approach
One-third of the world’s food gets wasted while millions go hungry. We take a global look at the paradox that is food waste and loss and its impacts.
Food safety & security
Clamping down on global food waste to protect food security
Global food waste is under more scrutiny as the pandemic exposes supply line flaws. China, the US and UK are all impacted differently.
Food safety & security
Farrelly & Mitchell analysis: Lebanon explosion exposes lack of food security plan
Lebanon’s social and political problems had put the country in a precarious position, but the Beirut explosion has exposed a long-term neglect of food security.
Is Covid-19 accelerating ESG investment in food and agribusiness?
Is Covid-19 accelerating ESG investment in food and agribusiness?
Will Covid-19 accelerate the adoption of ESG practices as investors become more aware of the impact ESG investment is having?
Mergers & acquisitions
Pause on agribusiness investment as COVID-19 eats away at certainties
Coronavirus is proving the ultimate disruptor for food and agribusiness industries. How does it impact investment?
Food safety & security
Covid-19 presents chance to build a more resilient food system
The global pandemic is testing the merits of the global food supply chain. Can coronavirus make for a more resilient system?
Agribusiness
Newly unveiled EU Farm to Fork Strategy set to transform agriculture in Europe
The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy is set to transform food and agriculture in Europe, with Farrelly & Mitchell well positioned to navigate clients in this new era.
Food & beverage
Poultry Import Drivers in the GCC
The GCC imports almost $2.8 billion of poultry meat annually to satisfy local demand. However, traditional exporters are under increasing pressure from different forces.
Sustainability & ESG
The Importance of ESG Due Diligence in Agri-Investing
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) due diligence is vital for businesses in terms of attracting investment, maintaining reputation and performance improvement.
Agribusiness
East Africa’s role in GCC food & Agribusiness future prospects
An overview of East Africa Food & Agricultural trade and how East Africa can supply affluent and high growth to GCC consumer goods market
Agtech & foodtech
Farming the “data”
A move towards a totally mechanised poultry industry is becoming attractive to break the chain of inefficiency & increase return from expensive feed.
Food & beverage
Meat and dairy exports to the Middle East
This presentation provides a checklist to companies who want to expand in the Middle East, by way of our own experience.
Agribusiness
Innovation intermediaries help collaborative food SMEs to create a bigger pie
Open innovation is a new-product and process development model, whereby firms use external ideas, as well as internal ideas, to advance their offering. Open innovation is a new-product and process development model, whereby firms use external ideas, as well as internal ideas, to advance their offering.
Mergers & acquisitions
Key Success Factors for Investment in International Agricultural Land
In terms of items to consider when investing in farmland, risk identification is vital to agriculture investment strategy.
Food & beverage
Sugar Rush or Sugar Push
While some segments of the sugar free-from category have been experiencing exponential growth, recent data shows that industry sales have gone down 1% in the past year
Mergers & acquisitions
Key Trends in Global Agri-Food Investment
The appetite for agri-food investment has exploded in the last two decades and is seeing no sign of slowing down. What is driving the surge?
Agribusiness
Soft Due Diligence Should Deliver Hard Results for Food & Agribusiness Deals
Due diligence, properly applied, equals an informed client. It is essential when evaluating an agribusiness acquisition.
Agribusiness
Refocusing international farmland investment
The case for adopting a holistic agribusiness perspective to investments in farmland is growing in strength.
Mergers & acquisitions
Private equity finds fertile ground in Africa
The difficulty of raising capital for the agri-food sector in sub-Saharan Africa has created an opportunity for private equity investors.
Sustainability & ESG
Emerging Markets Drive Feed Industry Growth
Strong population growth and rising incomes suggest a positive growth outlook for the animal feed industry in both emerging and developing regions.
Risk and Reward in the Saudi Poultry Sector
Risk and Reward in the Saudi Poultry Sector
The Middle East poultry market is seen as attractive for investors but competition and disease risks need to be minimised.
Food safety & security
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and food security
How can the impact of foreign investment be optimised to maximise benefits in terms of food security, while at the same time minimising risks to all stakeholders?
Agribusiness
Coffee producers place faith in regenerative agriculture
Regenerative agriculture is seen as a genuine solution as coffee producers battle to protect their crops. But what makes regenerative agriculture so compelling a prospect?
Food safety & security
Health of children at the heart of UN food safety summit
The UN Food Safety Summit will assess why the food system continues to cause poor diet, malnutrition, undernutrition, obesity and child mortality prevails.
Food & beverage
Home delivery and food service to continue upward post-COVID trends
Home delivery has exploded during the pandemic and now looks set to be one of many enduring post-COVID trends.
Agtech & foodtech
Agtech continues to respond to climate change threat
Investment in agtech is growing as the world scrambles to contain the climate change threat. Discover more Insightful blogs on agrifood.
Sustainability & ESG
Could plant-based foods be tipping point for food and climate security?
Greater consumption of plant-based foods could prive a tipping point in accelerating decarbonisation and improving food security.
Food & beverage
Hunger on the rise following price surge
The jump in global food prices in recent months is testing the capacity of the food system, and a UN report has noted a subsequent rise in the rate of hunger worldwide.
Sustainability & ESG
US report has implications for food sector worldwide
A new report has placed urgency on the US government to reshape the country’s broken food system, but its findings are equally relevant on a global basis.
Sustainability & ESG
Mixed response to EU Common agricultural policy reform deal
Two weeks ago, the EU reached agreement on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform for 2023-2027.
Agribusiness
Agrifood sector fully aware of climate change urgency
Crop diseases have been increasing in severity and scale due to the ongoing impact of climate change.
Food & beverage
Malachy Mitchell, food and agribusiness expert, speaks about the future of food
Farrelly & Mitchell MD Malachy Mitchell speaks about the future of food and opportunities arising from the dominant trends.
Mergers & acquisitions
Dedicated agribusiness expertise feeds successful mergers & acquisitions
Technological innovations and emerging trends are creating opportunities for mergers and acquisitions in the agrifood space.
Food safety & security
Carbon labelling’s time has come
Legislators are looking at carbon labelling to help consumers make more informed choices to reduce carbon emissions.
Food & beverage
What are the prospects for plant-based milks post-pandemic?
The rise of plant-based milk looks set to continue unabated. As we head into a post-pandemic world what are its prospects?
Agribusiness
The future of wheat
Wheat will remain a staple crop for humanity but the capacity for new production systems and potential new uses is set to be the subject of intense research worldwide.
Agribusiness
Benefits of completing commercial & technical due diligence
Malachy Mitchell explores how Soft Due Diligence leads to hard result. Presenting our approach and the benefits thereof
Food safety & security
Food security: global trends & opportunities seminar
Malachy Mitchell, Managing Director, Farrelly & Mitchell - provides an overview of the agri-food investment environment
Mergers & acquisitions
Food & agribusiness trade & investment opportunities
Malachy Mitchell reveals how balancing demand generation and ensuring supplies to meet demand is key for success
Mergers & acquisitions
IPO – a journey of value creation for food companies
We are seeing increasing interest by many of our clients in Europe and the Middle East in IPOs, the next stage in their company’s development.
Food safety & security
Supply chains & food security: assessing the impact of disruptive forces
Thanks to coronavirus the spotlight is again on human supply chains & food security. This report looks at what we can learn from past disruption & best practice.
Food & beverage
Can UK farming become greener after the CAP?
Will Brexit provide an opportunity for the UK to develop more radical and greener farm policies? Will they work?
Agtech & foodtech
Can crop mix and AgTech bridge the gap for developing countries?
Research, based on 30 years of geographic data, found that developing countries have capacity to match the agriculture productivity of rich nations.
Agtech & foodtech
AI and Robots: How will they shape the future of farming?
The use of Artificial Intelligence is set to grow rapidly throughout the food supply chain and will offer many opportunities for investors over the coming years.
Food safety & security
Five ways COVID:19 is improving our food supply chains
COVID:19 has brought food security to the fore in the policy agenda of many countries, but agrifood experts have been calling for reforms for a long time.
Sustainability & ESG
Soil sequestration’s role in the battle against climate change
The US government and large food corporations are backing soil sequestration as a tool in the battle against climate change.
Sustainability & ESG
The governments role in fostering ESG policy in agriculture
The potential for ESG policy in shaping the future of agriculture is fully within the grasp of governments.
Food safety & security
The role of smarter food supply chains in curbing food waste
SMART supply chains offer significant potential to reduce waste within the food chain and help limit the impact of the food industry on the environment.
Sustainability & ESG
2021 ESG trends: The cost of failing to integrate sustainability into agribusinesses
Trends show continued momentum behind ethically run food. Failing to integrate sustainability into an investment has consequences.
Food & beverage
Why ESG will continue to influence food industry trends
ESG remains one of the world's strongest food industry trends as sustainability and environmental concerns increasingly inform purchasing decisions.
Agtech & foodtech
Tapping into the potential of agriculture and decentralised energy
The intersect between decentralised energy and agriculture fits with the world’s ambitions on climate and food security
Agribusiness
Access to finance – transforming the story of African agribusiness
Agriculture finance is a contentious issue in Africa, as it continues to face challenges in unlocking the capital required to meet its potential.
Sustainability & ESG
A dilemma for ESG investors: Balancing local food autonomy and global supply chain advantages
Food production has a wide range of impacts which are difficult to measure, making it unclear whether individual investment in food meet ESG criteria.
Food & beverage
Immediate challenges kick in as ‘Brexit effect’ hits food supply chains
Brexit’s impact on food supply chains is already apparent, and the system will have to adapt a re-engineered resiliency.
Food safety & security
Pandemic increases Middle East food security focus
Agrifood investment steps up in response to COVID disruption. Middle East nations step up activities to shore up food security.
Food & beverage
Saudi Arabia water supply gains as food challenges mount
Saudi Arabia is proactive in protecting its water supply in terms of its relationship with agriculture, with land acquisiton and agtech key.
Agtech & foodtech
Shifting minds to shape the future food system from farm to fork
Scope for improvement in agriculture and food outcomes within the grasp of the Middle East and African nations who work together and pool their collective strengths.
Agribusiness
Can African agribusiness access the credit needed to transform?
African agriculture funding has always proven difficult. Significantly the technology now exists to support access to investment.
Food safety & security
Sustainability a key industry ingredient for food security
The role sustainability plays in a healthy and balanced food supply chain for food industry stakeholders is increasingly recognised.
Food safety & security
How to reduce food waste and loss: a different approach
One-third of the world’s food gets wasted while millions go hungry. We take a global look at the paradox that is food waste and loss and its impacts.
Food safety & security
Clamping down on global food waste to protect food security
Global food waste is under more scrutiny as the pandemic exposes supply line flaws. China, the US and UK are all impacted differently.
Food safety & security
Farrelly & Mitchell analysis: Lebanon explosion exposes lack of food security plan
Lebanon’s social and political problems had put the country in a precarious position, but the Beirut explosion has exposed a long-term neglect of food security.
Is Covid-19 accelerating ESG investment in food and agribusiness?
Is Covid-19 accelerating ESG investment in food and agribusiness?
Will Covid-19 accelerate the adoption of ESG practices as investors become more aware of the impact ESG investment is having?
Mergers & acquisitions
Pause on agribusiness investment as COVID-19 eats away at certainties
Coronavirus is proving the ultimate disruptor for food and agribusiness industries. How does it impact investment?
Food safety & security
Covid-19 presents chance to build a more resilient food system
The global pandemic is testing the merits of the global food supply chain. Can coronavirus make for a more resilient system?
Agribusiness
Newly unveiled EU Farm to Fork Strategy set to transform agriculture in Europe
The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy is set to transform food and agriculture in Europe, with Farrelly & Mitchell well positioned to navigate clients in this new era.
Food & beverage
Poultry Import Drivers in the GCC
The GCC imports almost $2.8 billion of poultry meat annually to satisfy local demand. However, traditional exporters are under increasing pressure from different forces.
Sustainability & ESG
The Importance of ESG Due Diligence in Agri-Investing
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) due diligence is vital for businesses in terms of attracting investment, maintaining reputation and performance improvement.
Agribusiness
East Africa’s role in GCC food & Agribusiness future prospects
An overview of East Africa Food & Agricultural trade and how East Africa can supply affluent and high growth to GCC consumer goods market
Agtech & foodtech
Farming the “data”
A move towards a totally mechanised poultry industry is becoming attractive to break the chain of inefficiency & increase return from expensive feed.
Food & beverage
Meat and dairy exports to the Middle East
This presentation provides a checklist to companies who want to expand in the Middle East, by way of our own experience.
Agribusiness
Innovation intermediaries help collaborative food SMEs to create a bigger pie
Open innovation is a new-product and process development model, whereby firms use external ideas, as well as internal ideas, to advance their offering. Open innovation is a new-product and process development model, whereby firms use external ideas, as well as internal ideas, to advance their offering.
Mergers & acquisitions
Key Success Factors for Investment in International Agricultural Land
In terms of items to consider when investing in farmland, risk identification is vital to agriculture investment strategy.
Food & beverage
Sugar Rush or Sugar Push
While some segments of the sugar free-from category have been experiencing exponential growth, recent data shows that industry sales have gone down 1% in the past year
Mergers & acquisitions
Key Trends in Global Agri-Food Investment
The appetite for agri-food investment has exploded in the last two decades and is seeing no sign of slowing down. What is driving the surge?
Agribusiness
Soft Due Diligence Should Deliver Hard Results for Food & Agribusiness Deals
Due diligence, properly applied, equals an informed client. It is essential when evaluating an agribusiness acquisition.
Agribusiness
Refocusing international farmland investment
The case for adopting a holistic agribusiness perspective to investments in farmland is growing in strength.
Mergers & acquisitions
Private equity finds fertile ground in Africa
The difficulty of raising capital for the agri-food sector in sub-Saharan Africa has created an opportunity for private equity investors.
Sustainability & ESG
Emerging Markets Drive Feed Industry Growth
Strong population growth and rising incomes suggest a positive growth outlook for the animal feed industry in both emerging and developing regions.
Risk and Reward in the Saudi Poultry Sector
Risk and Reward in the Saudi Poultry Sector
The Middle East poultry market is seen as attractive for investors but competition and disease risks need to be minimised.