The ABSF annual update is a yearly scorecard and snapshot of the sustainability performance of the industry, reporting on a number of priority issues to monitor progress against recognised standards and metrics.
This year, in its sixth edition, it has increased the number of indicators to 54, spanning the four foundational themes of: best animal care; environmental stewardship; economic resilience; and people and the community.
ABSF Sustainability Steering Group chair Mark Davie said this year’s update showed areas of significant progress as well as opportunities for further improvement.
“There is plenty to celebrate. Australian beef businesses produced over 20 billion meals this year, and progressed on nearly all our sustainability metrics,” Mr Davie said.
Australia’s red meat industry has set a target of being carbon neutral by 2030, known as CN30, and progress towards this goal is evident, with net CO2e emissions in 2020 of 45.21 metric tonnes, 64.07 per cent below 2005 levels.
“This is an outstanding result and the lowest recorded to date, given a number of contributing factors,” Mr Davie said.
“Methane emissions in 2020 were the lowest recorded, primarily due to a reduced national herd, and carbon sequestered in on-farm vegetation was the highest ever recorded.”
Encouragingly, as much of Australia broke drought across 2020 and 2021 and the national herd increased, satellite imagery shows forest on grazing land in the same period increased by 780,000 hectares.
“This demonstrates the responsible management of natural resources by our producers, further underscored by the removal of primary vegetation also at a record low,” Mr Davie said.
Fresh data has flowed from an updated life cycle analysis, the first in four years, which calculated 400 litres of water were required per kilogram of liveweight gain for raising cattle, a decrease of 18 per cent.
The improvement comes from reducing reliance on irrigation, reducing losses associated with the supply of water and a slight decrease in water consumption through improved genetics.
The Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement coming into force promises to reinforce the economic resiliency of the industry, with a significant increase in tariff-free beef access in year one and a transition to tariff, quota and safeguard free trade over a 15-year period, Mr Davie said.
Advances have also been made in animal welfare, with the feedlot industry increasing the percentage of feedlot capacity with access to shade to 63 per cent and on track to reach its goal of 100 per cent by 2026.
Awareness of Australian Animal Welfare Standards for Cattle has reached 100 per cent for the first time, and the mortality rate of stock on live export ships continues to improve.
According to reports tabled in parliament, in 2022 the mortality of cattle during sea voyages has more than halved in two years to a record low of 0.05 per cent.
“The only two negative trends were a decline in water efficiency by processors due to reduced throughput and a reduction in groundcover across semi-arid regions due to a drought,” Mr Davie said.
He said there were also challenges to overcome such as finding an appropriate metric for on-farm biodiversity while work is under way to develop an indicator of mortality on domestic road transport.
To read the ABSF 2023 Annual Update, go to: www.sustainableaustralianbeef.com.au
