GRSB Connect for December 16, 2014 |
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Dear GRSB Member, Welcome to the last edition of GRSB connect before the Christmas break — I hope you have the opportunity to relax and enjoy it with your family, and wish everyone the best in 2015. Sustainability News Will a Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Matter?Dateline: 12/02/14, Source: By Leon Kaye, Triple PunditA movement is underway to make beef more sustainable. Held in São Paulo, Brazil, last month, the major supporters of this conference included McDonald's, Cargill and the animal pharmaceutical company Elanco. Over the course of four days, 300 attendees at the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) issued what the organization described as the "release of the first global definition for 'sustainable beef'." The summary of what occurred in Sã;o Paulo will hardly endear the GRSB to advocates of a more plant–based diet and for an improved management of resources. GRSB: Why Principles, Criteria Needed for SustainabilityDateline: 12/10/14, Source: The Cattle SiteA major step forward was taken last month in Brazil at the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) when the multi–stakeholder group clarified what sustainability is. A major player in the process was the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, helping to give the US producer a voice as principles and criteria were ratified in São Paulo. CEO of the Association, Forrest Roberts, explained that sustainability means different things to different countries. Watch Video. Defining Sustainable Beef ProductionDateline: 12/10/12, Source: By Doug Warnock, Capital PressIn recent months, several conferences have discussed and attempted to describe what constitutes sustainable beef production. A report from the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef in Colorado Springs, Colo., listed five core principles that should be considered when discussing sustainability: Natural resources, • People and community, Animal health and welfare, Food, Efficiency and innovation. Financial viability is another necessary component of sustainability. The beef operation must generate a profit or it cannot survive from a financial standpoint. Trust Is the Key to Sustainable Beef ProductionDateline: 12/11/14, Source: By Jennifer Blair, Alberta Farmer"As we go through this world, operating in this business that we're in, we've been passionate about looking for win–wins," Jerry Wulf, a Minnesota producer said at the recent Canfax Cattle Market Forum. "Win–loses aren't sustainable." WPA & WCA Part of National Sustainable Ag SurveyDateline: 12/11/14, Source: Wisconsin Ag NewsThere is a new partnership between the National Initiative for Sustainable Agriculture and local beef and pork producers looking to document, promote and communicate advancements in sustainable practices used on Wisconsin farms. NISA is working with the Wisconsin Pork Association and the Wisconsin Cattleman's Association on a groundbreaking program to measure on–farm sustainability success, encourage continual improvements and help farmers, food buyers and consumers learn about the sustainability of Wisconsin beef and pork operations. With New Standards, Global Beef Industry Takes Contentious Step Toward Sustainability
Dateline: 12/08//14, Source: By Carey L. Biron, Mint Press NewsDo new standards represent a genuine move towards boosting the sustainability of one of the world’s greatest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, or do they miss the mark by steering clear of specific standards and binding enforcement mechanisms? Defra launches £4.5m Sustainable Intensification ProjectDateline: 12/05/14, Source: Farmers WeeklyDefra has launched a £4.5m research project to investigate waysto increase farm productivity while reducing negative environmental effects. The scheme will bring together expertise from across the farming industry and research community to find ways to develop a more sustainable farming sector for the future. AfDB Approves Major Drought Resilience and Sustainable Livelihood Programs in Four Horn of Africa Countries.Dateline: 11/26/14, Source: All AfricaThe Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a US $133–million program that will help countries in the Horn of Africa region break free from cycles of drought and famine. This second AfDB Group Drought Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods Program in the region will help Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan to increase the income of agro–pastoralists through improved livestock production and related services (animal production and health, rangeland management, marketing, etc.) and the development of irrigation schemes. BeefTalk: Wet and Dry; There Is No ConstantDateline: 12/03/14, Source: By Kris Ringwall, RoundUp WebInstead of sustainability, what we really may need is an organized response to ever–present change. As cattle producers, how we respond to the environment is key to our survival. The world is covered with water and plants. How we use the plants depends on how consumers look at their plates. Restaurants Should Boost Meat–Free Offer, Claims AllianceDateline: 12/03/14, Source: By Carina Perkins, Big Hospitality UKCampaigners have called on restaurants and pubs to offer more low meat and meat–free options as new research suggests that British consumers are eating less meat. Concerns over health, animal welfare and cost were the biggest factors driving this trend, with concern for climate change, the enviroment and food sercurity less significant. Meat Industry Hits Back at 'Misleading' ReportsDateline: 12/05/14, Source: By Oli Haenlein, Meat Info UKThe UK meat industry has defended itself after two separate studies claimed that livestock production and meat consumption must be reduced to tackle climate change. The research also suggested that the British public was eating less meat, and was responsive to the idea of cutting its meat intake further. Tackling Climate Change on a Global Scale — The COP 20 in PeruDateline: 12/08/14, Source: by Jeff Hayward, The GuardianThe UN framework convention on climate change (COP 20), under way in in the Peruvian capital Lima, will not produce a global climate treaty. That will depend on reaching a series of agreements with the 20 nations that emit 80% of total global greenhouse emissions (GHG), and the economic sectors that have the biggest impact on the world's climate. However, it could pave the way for a treaty being signed in Paris next year that will be seen as a turning point in reducing global warming. Our Members |
To read the entire source article, click on the link in the headline.Members in the News Cattlemen Announce Creation of New Private Company to Lead Traceability EffortsDateline: 12/08/14, Source: By Amanda Stephenson, Calgary HeraldThe Canadian beef industry and an Edmonton–based information technology company have joined forces to create a new entity drafted with expanding and improving cattle traceability. Hunter Beef Industry Seeks Protection from MiningDateline: 11/30/14, Source: ABC RuralThe value of beef breeding to Australia from the New South Wales Upper Hunter and New England regions has been acknowledged by the new owners of the Scone meat processing plant, prompting a call for the industry to be protected from mining. The vote of confidence in the industry has come from JBS, new owners of the Scone abattoir. JBS Australia, spent $1.5 billion to secure Primo Smallgoods and the Hunter Valley Quality Meats Scone plant. Cargill to Develop Beef Sustainability AssessmentDateline: 12/03/14, Source: Environmental LeaderCargill Cattle Feeders, the cattle supply arm of the company's US beef business, has entered into an agreement with Wichita–based consultancy Kennedy and Coe to create a verified beef supply chain sustainability assessment program for Cargill feed yards. Based on the successful development of benchmarking and measurement criteria, this type of assessment could eventually be expanded to include cattle production in collaboration with stocker operators, ranchers, as well as with Cargill's feed yard partners. Canadian Cattle Producers Drive to Sustainable Beef
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