Australian Beef Sustainability Framework: Emissions on the decline

Cattle producers have reduced carbon emissions and water consumption while grappling with the post-drought rebuild. Here’s how they did it.

Australian beef producers have reduced their carbon emissions by more than 60 per cent in the past 18 years, while also reducing the amount of water used to produce a kilogram of beef.

That’s according to the latest Australian Beef Sustainability Framework report, which has delivered producers a snapshot of Australia’s sustainability goals for the red meat industry, including the lofty goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.

Published today, the report showed net carbon emissions for the beef industry were 64.1 per cent down on the 2005 level, with a 18 per cent reduction in water used per kilogram of live weight gain.

However, record high cattle prices in recent years while producers scrambled to rebuild the national heard provided a challenge for farmers, according to the report, resulting in lower-than-average throughput and reduced efficiencies.

Historically low unemployment, resulting in labour shortages, has also challenged the industry.

ABSF steering group chair Mark Davie said Australian beef farmers produced more than 20 billion meals in the past year, and progressed “on nearly all our sustainability metrics”.

A recent report shows Australian beef producers have reduced both the amount of water required to produce one kilogram of beef, while also reducing carbon emissions. Picture: Zoe Phillips

“Methane emissions in 2020 were the lowest recorded, primarily due to a reduced national herd, and carbon sequestered in on-farm vegetation was the highest ever recorded,” Mr Davie said.

Producers have improved the amount of water required per kilogram of liveweight gain from reduction in reliance on irrigation, reducing losses associated with the supply of water, and a slight decrease in water consumption through improved genetics, the report found.

Advances in animal welfare were also noted, with the feedlot industry increasing capacity with access to shade to 63 per cent, on-track to meet its goal of 100 per cent in the next three years.

“The only two negative trends were a decline in water efficiency by processors due to reduced

throughput and a reduction in ground cover across semi-arid regions due to a drought,” Mr Davie said.