Our goal on Climate impact is ambitious, but around the world, it is being shown to be possible and in many cases is well underway. Our challenge is to see those improvements in lower income countries where the herd is growing and meat demand is rising fastest.
Australian Meat Industry Emissions Down 57 Per Cent Since 2005
Sky News, AU, 02/09/2021
Australian Meat Industry Council CEO Patrick Hutchinson says since 2005 the meat industry has reduced net emissions by up to 57 per cent and is on track to meet a 2030 net-zero target. "Our next review as an industry is due in about 2022 where we're looking to ensure we're about 25 per cent below the emissions we were tracking in 2017," he said. "Then moving out to 2025, it's at about 50 per cent and then moving to 2030. "We're working hand-in-glove across the supply chain... to ensure we can have that target of net emissions.”
We hear a lot about negative impacts of livestock on biodiversity, and have to acknowledge those, particularly the role that cattle play in land speculation and conversion in biomes in Latin America. However, there are many positive impacts that should also be recognised.
Livestock Grazing In Eastern Himalayan Pastures Enhances Biodiversity And Productivity
Neha Jain, Mongabay, 02/19/2021
Rangelands of the Himalayas are a global biodiversity hotspot and provide a myriad of ecosystem services from carbon sequestration and water storage to maintaining biodiversity and providing livelihoods to pastoral communities. For millennia, pastoralists have been inhabiting rangelands and these socio-ecological systems have coevolved. While the rangelands of Sikkim—one of the most biodiverse regions of the world—occupy a mere 0.006 percent of rangelands globally, they harbour almost 60 percent of global alpine plant families.
Guardians of the Grasslands
Guardians Of The Grasslands is a short documentary brought to you by a group of dedicated conservationists, ranchers and Canadian filmmakers. The film explores the current state of one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems, the Great Plains grasslands, and the role that cattle play in its survival. As we reach new critical levels in the loss of these iconic landscapes, there are important truths we must face about humanity’s relationship with the land and our food.
Setting a goal for animal welfare is uncontroversial – everyone involved from producer to consumer has an interest in good animal welfare, and in improving it where possible. Cost is sometimes a constraint for producers, particularly if they cannot estimate the return on that investment. Researchers from the University of Queensland have examined the cost benefits of improvements. Download research paper here
Animal Welfare Decision Support Tool Developed For Livestock Producers
Beef Central, 02/01/2021
Scientists from the University of Queensland have developed a decision support tool to help people with farm animals under their care to make evidence-based decisions about changes in practice to improve animal welfare.