The Australian red meat industry is intrinsically connected with the land and its natural resources, which is why it takes its environmental responsibilities seriously.
To improve its sustainability credentials and demonstrate continuous improvement, the industry is committed to addressing nine of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which it reports on annually. These goals include climate action, life on land and responsible consumption and production.
A lot has already been achieved. Since 2005, the industry has reduced emissions by 78.56%1, largely through improved productivity as well as changes to vegetation management practices.
This equates to a reduction in the industry’s proportion of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 22% in 2005 to 11%2.
A number of industry-led initiatives have been implemented to help Australian red meat producers reduce their environmental impact and give consumers more confidence that the food they buy has been responsibly produced.
The Australian Beef Sustainability Framework and the world’s first Sheep Sustainability Framework are two initiatives that are helping red meat producers implement sustainable practices.
The Australian red meat and livestock industry's goal is to be carbon neutral by 2030 (CN30), ahead of most other industries in Australia and around the world.
CN30 means the Australian red meat and livestock industry will make no net release of GHG emissions into the atmosphere by 2030, as measured by the Australian Government’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (NGHGI). The industry aims to achieve this by reducing emissions from grazing management, lot feeding and processing, and increasing carbon storage in soils and vegetation.
The Australian Red Meat Industry’s Carbon Neutral by 2030 (CN30) Roadmap sets out how the industry will proactively address emissions and become a global leader in sustainable food production.
The initiatives include:
The Australian red meat and livestock industry was one of the first industries on the planet to set such an ambitious target, and it’s already making progress to achieve it.
1 Data analysed from 2021 National Greenhouse Gas Inventory and 2021 Greenhouse gas footprint of the red meat industry
2 Data analysed from Quarterly Update National Greenhouse Gas Inventory and 2021 Greenhouse gas footprint of the red meat industry