Sustainable beef: Cargill to slash 30 percent greenhouse gas emissions by 2030

29 Jul 2019 --- US-based agriculture giant, Cargill, is launching “BeefUp Sustainability,” an initiative that aims to reduce 30 percent of greenhouse gases (GHG) across its North American beef supply chain by 2030. The program will focus on grazing management, feed production, innovation and food waste reduction, while engaging with stakeholders including producers, customers and innovators. The program comes at a time when concerns about the sustainability of beef are coinciding with an increasing global demand for protein.

“Sustainability, including GHG reduction, is a top-of-mind concern for Cargill and across a broad spectrum of customers, consumers, farmers and ranchers. We share a mutual concern about global climate change and its potential impacts on the food system and the well-being of our planet. We’re committed to collaboration that brings people and organizations together to address the topic of climate, as well as areas such as land use, water resources, farmer livelihoods, and food and material use,” Heather Tansey, Sustainability Director for Cargill Protein and Animal Nutrition, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

GHG emissions will be measured on a per pound of product basis, and 2017 will be used as a baseline. Tansey explains that the progress will be monitored with GHG accounting principles and that the company will continue to engage in industry initiatives to advance those principles. 

Additionally, the program is beginning to identify partners who will help to develop tailored programs to address any challenges that arise, with the company’s partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) being expanded first. 

Cargill will work with TNC to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Cargill and TNC will work with farmers and ranchers over the next three years to show how grazing management planning and adaptive management can help sustainability outcomes related to soil, carbon storage, vegetation, wildlife habitat, water and other ecological parameters. This will help increase resilience in the case of extreme weather events. 

“There has been progress over the years across the industry, and there is much more that we can do together,” says Sasha Gennet, PhD, Director of North America Sustainable Grazing Lands Strategy at The Nature Conservancy. “We are committed to achieving a productive food system that improves water quality and wildlife habitat while reducing GHG’s. Leveraging Cargill’s network allows us to drive change at a meaningful scale.”

The initiative utilizes farmer and rancher feedback gathered through previous projects, such as the Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Pilot, on-site visits with key supply chain stakeholders and producer panels. Additionally, it is opt-in and not compulsory for all North American farmers. 

“We respect producers’ right to manage their operations as they choose, but also see opportunities to work together to find solutions that support their sustainability and continuous improvement efforts to help their businesses thrive. We look forward to collaborating with interested producers to voluntarily enhance and extend innovations,” says Tansey. 

Cargill is currently sponsoring the Yield Lab Institute’s Manure Innovation Challenge as part of BeefUp Sustainability. The program connects start-ups and companies to create solutions that capture the value from manure-based nutrients, fiber and energy, the company says. They will then bring the strategies to market while creating on-farm profitability.

The importance of environmental safeguarding
With the beef industry using a significant amount of resources such as water and having a widespread impact on the environment, it is critical that it adapts to safeguard future agriculture. Technology has already helped to make the industry more efficient, with US farmers and ranchers producing 18 percent of the world’s beef with only 8 percent of the world’s cattle. “Better animal genetics and nutrition as well as enhanced animal health and welfare contribute to improved efficiency,” Tansey notes. 

“Significantly reducing GHG requires change across the entire supply chain,” she continues. “We know the time to act is now and that agriculture can be part of the solution. We’re investing in science-based practices and have identified focus areas that will ensure we have the greatest environmental impact.”

Other companies are also using technology to aid agriculture. Last month, DSM filed for EU authorization of its feed additive, which reduces dairy cows’ methane emissions by 30 percent. Additionally, Arla is using 3D imagery to monitor cow movement in order to remove human subjectivity.

By Katherine Durrell