The Assessment also lays out a strategy for the CRSB to advance sustainability efforts in the industry and measure progress going forward. This is the first of its kind for the Canadian beef industry. It provides a comprehensive picture of the industry’s sustainability performance at the national level, said Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, a rancher from Jumping Pound, Alberta and Chair of the CRSB. “We examined all aspects of the value chain, from farming all the way through to consumption.”
With this science-based information, the industry will be able to communicate more effectively with partners, stakeholders, and the public. Looking forward, the Sustainability Strategy will help ensure the CRSB can focus its efforts in the most appropriate areas.
“This study was truly a multi-stakeholder, collaborative effort. It turned out to be a complex task, and one that would require the commitment and expertise of many stakeholders” said Tom Lynch-Staunton, Issues Manager, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Chair of the Steering Committee tasked with overseeing the study. “I would like to recognize the steering committee, scientific and industry experts, Deloitte and Canfax teams, producers who completed the surveys, and others who put in countless volunteer hours, ensuring this study was as robust and comprehensive as possible. It shows the commitment of the industry to working together and how we are taking important steps towards the long term sustainability of the beef industry.”
Standard environmental life cycle topics, such as climate change, fossil fuel use, water use, and air and land pollution potentials were examined in the Assessment, along with new areas including biodiversity and carbon storage. The Assessment also covered a broad range of social life cycle topics, including animal health and welfare and antimicrobial use, and economic sustainability from a producer viability and consumer resiliency point of view.
“The results reflect positively on the Canadian beef industry,” noted Fawn Jackson, Executive Director of the CRSB. “However, there are still opportunities for improvement, as well as areas in which industry wants to continue to excel, which is why the National Beef Sustainability Strategy was created.”
The National Beef Sustainability Assessment was conducted by two consulting firms—Deloitte (environmental and social assessments) and Canfax Research Services (economic assessment). The process and data collected followed international best practices and guidelines, and was reviewed by a third-party panel of experts.
Tim McAllister, Principal Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada stated “It is important to have a balanced approach when assessing the beef industry’s environmental performance, understanding both the impacts and the benefits. I feel like we achieved that balance with this study because we examined a very broad range of indicators. This study is grounded in science—we made sure the best data and methods were used—and the third-party review also lends additional credibility.”
The Sustainability Strategy identifies goals, key performance indicators, and action items for the CRSB to help advance continuous improvement in sustainability. The goals set forth in the Sustainability Strategy and the benchmarks from the Assessment will be reviewed approximately every five years going forward, both to evaluate industry’s progress over time and to update according to new information as it becomes available.
Source: Meatbusiness