The Australian red meat industry has more than halved net GHG emissions since 2005
Since 2005 to 2021, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from beef, lamb and goats have fallen by over 78.56%1. The industry is voluntarily pursuing a carbon neutral target by 2030, meaning net zero GHG emissions from red meat production, feedlot and processing sectors.
This is all part of the red meat and livestock industry’s target to be carbon neutral by 2030 (CN30). This will be achieved by reducing emissions from grazing management, lot feeding and processing, and increasing carbon storage in soils and vegetation.
The Industry’s efforts to reduce net emissions are making a substantial contribution to Australia’s international commitments on climate change with farmers – like Stuart Austin and Trisha Crowley – continuing to lead the world in environmentally sustainable red meat production.
"We are massively climate positive."
How is emissions reduction possible?
CN30 is possible thanks to innovative technologies and practices, such as improved genetics, new types of livestock feeds and grazing management practices that reduce the amount of methane produced per animal, the amount of methane produced by ruminants in Australia is expected to be cut dramatically by 2030.
The other part of the puzzle is being able to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using vegetation and store carbon in Australia’s vast grazing lands. The goal is to have 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere each year, and stored as carbon within 10 million hectares of Australian grazing land by 2025.
Other initiatives include using dung beetles to recycle nutrients from livestock dung (or manure) to improve vegetation growth and help accelerate carbon storage in the soil.
The end result will be a carbon-neutral, completely natural cycle that looks like this:
What’s the industry doing to reduce GHG emissions?
Meat & Livestock Australia's voluntary target to be carbon neutral by 2030 sets out how Australian farmers and others in the red meat industry will proactively address emissions and become a global leader in sustainable food production. The initiatives include:
Improvements in feeding practices (better pastures, new types of food, more grains)
Improved ways of handling manure
Improved genetics and animal management
Storing carbon in the land
Using high quality feed to improve productivity and reduce emissions.
Excited progress has been made to date. As well as net GHG emissions falling by 78.56% since 2005, improvements are continuing to be made across our farms, feedlots and processers.
Did you know?
According to the Australian Government National Inventory Report 2022, the major sources of national emissions (excl Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)) are energy (58.9%), transport (17.2%), and agriculture (14.9%). If red meat were its own category, it would contribute 10-11% of national greenhouse gas emissions.
In Australian feedlot research trials, Asparagopsis taxiformis (red seaweed) and Bovaer®10 have reduced methane between 15 - 90% when fed daily to cattle. Research is underway to understand their potential for grazing cattle.
