Australian red meat industry hits 78% reduction in net GHG emissions since 2005, flags new research

06 May 2024 --- Amid the meat industry’s challenges in mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) report has indicated that the Australian red meat and livestock industry has reduced its net GHG emissions by 78% since 2005. The data is based on the emissions from the country’s production and processing of beef, sheep and goats.

Emissions from the Australian red meat industry in 2021 were 31 metric CO2-equivalents, with the major direct contributor being enteric methane produced by grazing beef cattle (7.8 Mt CO2-e from sheep meat, 2.0 Mt CO2-e from beef cattle in feedlots and 0.1 Mt CO2-e from goats), according to the report.

The study was conducted by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency and draws from the 2021 Australian National Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

Julia Waite, Carbon Neutral 2030 (CN30) project manager at the MLA, attributes this reduction in the net emissions to impacts in the land use sector. 

“Low rates of clearing and greater volumes of regrowth have contributed to a larger pool of carbon on land associated with livestock management, bringing down the collective position of the sector.”

“The contribution from land use change was particularly significant between 2020 and 2021 due to high rainfall, which was 9% above the historical average and conditions favorable for vegetation growth during La-Niña,” she adds.

The enteric emissions produced by grazing beef cattle have remained stable in recent years.As the Australian climate varies, she anticipates sequestration volumes will retract when conditions trend back toward drier El Nino.”

The MLA works in partnership with the red meat industry and the Australian Government to deliver marketing, R&D products and services to beef, sheep and goat producers to support the red meat industry in the region.

“Balancing” the ledger
As per the report, in 2005, the total GHG emissions in the Australian red meat sector stood at 144.98 metric CO2 equivalents, dropping to 31.08 metric CO2 equivalents in 2021.

The enteric emissions produced by grazing beef cattle have remained stable in recent years, from 46.70 metric CO2 eq in 2005 to 41.82 in 2021, the data indicates.

Sequestration attributable to the red meat sector is estimated from the Full Carbon Accounting Model, which uses satellite imagery to account for change in Australia’s landscape. 

According to Waite, the emission trajectory has been positive since 2005, with the MLA recognizing the “broader expectation” for direct emissions reduction while maintaining the production of high-quality protein. This was supported by investment in R&D and initiatives to aid Australian red meat producers in adopting practices that foster sustainable meat production, a “win-win for business and the environment.” 

“In the short to medium term, sequestration helps to balance the ledger while the private and public sector continues to invest in options for direct emissions reduction.”

Increasing production and resource efficiency, using renewable energy, and managing manure are some of the tools she cites to lower livestock production emissions.

Toward net zero
Storage of carbon in grazing landscapes is sensitive to climatic conditions and continued progress toward net zero goals will require a reduction in animal emissions, particularly enteric methane, details the report.

The research urges red meat manufacturers to revise methods to calculate nitrous oxide emissions from manure mass.The findings suggest periodic review of feed and animal characteristics, methods, parameters and activity data for feedlot cattle and methods and parameters for sheep to mitigate enteric emissions. 

They also urge red meat manufacturers to revise methods to calculate nitrous oxide emissions from manure mass.

“Novel interventions like low methane pastures, supplements and genetic indexes are likely to play a bigger role in the later part of the decade, provided they are commercially viable with co-benefits for the whole farm business,” remarks Waite. 

“Over time this can reduce the reliance on sequestration.”

In 2017 the Australian red meat industry committed to achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2030.

Further details on the industry’s progress in reducing emissions against CN30, including emissions data from 2021, will be published in the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework Annual update, which is expected to be launched at Beef Australia in Rockhampton in Australia later this week. 

Recent innovations aimed at tackling enteric emissions by cattle include methane eradication photochemical systems, methane-reducing feed additives, enteric fermentation R&D accelerators and FMCG giants offering financial incentives to farmers for their sustainability efforts.

Edited by Insha Naureen