Beef industry’s yearly scorecard set to be released in June

A yearly score card on the beef industry’s environmental stewardship, animal care and wellbeing, economic resilience, and people and the community is set to be unveiled at an event in Sydney on June 16. The Australian Beef Industry Sustainability Framework aims to shine a spotlight on the industry’s sustainability performance and global leadership each year, with the sector “proving itself as a global leader”. This year will mark the release of the fifth report of its type since the launch of the ABSF in 2017 to identify success, opportunity and areas for improvement in the sustainable production of beef. Red Meat Advisory Council chair John McKillop said this year’s launch would highlight Australia’s growing role in leading the world in sustainable livestock production through innovation, investment in people and communities, and self-determined targets to improve performance. “The Australian beef industry is proving itself as a global leader in investing in research, innovation and best practice management to support evolving sustainability objectives,” Mr McKillop said. “The ABSF has become a powerful tool to measure our performance and understanding of where we can do better — and transparently communicating that to our customers and consumers. “Our commitment to sustainability has also been clearly demonstrated to the world through our industry-owned Carbon Neutral by 2030 target which is helping to propel the livestock sector — including beef, lamb and goat — towards no net release of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere within the next eight years.” Mr McKillop said “true sustainability” was multifaceted and the ABSF would include “important economic, animal and social measures within the suite of indicators we use to monitor progress and set priorities”. This year’s launch will include two important discussions exploring both the world-first research and innovation being undertaken in Australia and what striving for improved sustainability means in a commercial context. “This includes a panel comprising grassroots producers, lot feeders, processors and live exporters on what sustainability means in practical terms for beef businesses, as well as an innovation-based panel showcasing some of the exceptional and globally significant work occurring right here in Australia,” Mr McKillop said. Renowned chef Glenn Flood will also prepare lunch for launch attendees with beef sourced from Northern River Meats. Producer of the beef, Dyraaba farmer Joe Leven, will be at the launch to speak about the food being served and the steps Northern River Meats takes to prioritise sustainability. The update is invitation-only and will be held in Sydney on June 16.