Cargill Participates in Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Production

The roundtable approach, initiated by the world’s leading conservation organization, World Wildlife Fund, has effectively mobilized global commodity stakeholders to improve the environmental and social impacts of production while maintaining profitability for popular items such as seafood, soy and timber

Feb 27 2012 --- With global meat consumption continuing to rise, the beef industry has reaffirmed its commitment to practices that are environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable.

On Feb. 22, the formation of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef was announced, with Cargill as a founding member. The roundtable will serve as an independent, non-profit organization to advance continuous improvement across the global beef industry.

"We understand the needs of the global community, especially when looking forward and by 2050 we're projected to have about 2.5 billion to 3 billion more mouths to feed on the planet," said Mike Martin, director of communications for Cargill’s meat businesses.  "We also recognize that we have a responsibility to be stewards of resources we use to produce those foods."

Mark Murphy, assistant vice president, Cargill Corporate Affairs, said the company’s participation in the roundtable fits with other efforts Cargill has underway in the food system.  “For the food system to become more productive, sustainable and reliable, agricultural raw materials need to be grown where resources provide the greatest production efficiency and can be renewed so that production can continue for many years.”
Cargill Beef is collaborating with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) as that group conducts life cycle analysis (LCA) work within the U.S. beef system, which includes elements such as biodiversity, water and land use and carbon footprinting.

The roundtable approach, initiated by the world’s leading conservation organization, World Wildlife Fund, has effectively mobilized global commodity stakeholders to improve the environmental and social impacts of production while maintaining profitability for popular items such as seafood, soy and timber. Comprised of representatives from industry, non-profit organizations, associations, academia and think tanks, the roundtables strive to identify measurable, scientific ways to reduce environmental impact while enhancing the bottom line.

In addition to Cargill, the founding members of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef include: AllFlex, Allianca de Terra, Elanco, Grupo de Trabalho da Pecuaria Sustentavel (GTPS), JBS, McDonald’s, Merck Animal Health, National Wildlife Federation, Rainforest Alliance, Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Australia, Solidaridad, The Nature Conservancy, Walmart and World Wildlife Fund.

“We are encouraged that these major stakeholders in the beef industry are committed to work together to create a more sustainable beef supply chain,” said Jason Clay, World Wildlife Fund’s Senior Vice President for Markets Transformation. “At World Wildlife Fund, we recognize that these collaborative efforts are instrumental to our goal of preserving the most important biological places on earth and, ultimately, living in harmony with nature.”

Ruaraidh Petre, president of the Roundtable, said the creation of the group  reaffirms the collective support of activities that deliver measureable, science-based outcomes that are focused on high priority environmental and industry-related issues. “More efficient, environmentally sustainable approaches to bringing beef from farm to fork will help conserve our planet’s finite resources while also supporting our communities and our members’ bottom lines,” he said.