Cargill’s Canadian pilot project shows positive early results
By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Cargill’s Canadian beef sustainability pilot has reached another milestone.
In the first three months of the pilot, Cargill affirmed the model works. These early successes suggest the project could be expanded.
“It was important to share these positive results because they demonstrate that the Canadian beef industry has the potential to meet growing consumer demand for transparency and for third-party verification of sustainable beef production,” Gurneesh Bhandal, Cargill’s beef sustainability manager, said to Farms.com on Friday.
“The results show that we are able to create a supply chain for beef from certified sustainable operations and deliver that (product) to our customers, and that producers are able to earn financial credit for supporting this acceleration pilot.”
Now, Cargill is encouraging more ranchers to take part in the program this year, according to a company release earlier this month.
Through the pilot, Cargill aims to test and validate the audit and traceability systems required to meet the criteria of the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework, the release said. More information on the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef’s framework can be found here.
Ranchers who participated in the first quarter of the pilot received $10-per-head for qualifying cattle that could be tracked through sustainable operations to dinner plates.
Verified Beef Production Plus, overseen by the Beef Cattle Research Council, is auditing cattle producers for sustainability during the pilot, the release said.
“The audit is an opportunity to showcase what producers are already doing to be more sustainable. Many producers appreciate this opportunity and are excited to be a part of an effort to build greater consumer trust in the industry,” Bhandal said to Farms.com.
The Beef Info-Exchange System’s RFID tagging system tracked cattle as they moved through these audited operations.
So far, the pilot has successfully certified over 550,000 pounds of beef from more than 70 cattle producers who abide by the CRSB Framework standards and supply chain guidelines, according to the release.
“We appreciate the enthusiasm we’ve seen and the momentum that’s been generated in the first few months of the pilot,” Bhandal said in the release.
“We are encouraged by the continued interest shown from additional cow/calf producers, feedlot operators and processing plants.”
This month, Where Food Comes From became the pilot’s second auditing body. An additional firm offers producers choice when they are deciding to participate and wanting to demonstrate the sustainability of their operations, the release said.
Interested producers can find enrollment information for the sustainable beef pilot here.
UPDATED Mar. 27, 2018