The annual sustainability report card of the Australian beef industry will break new ground this year, with goals to be announced for the first time.
The Annual Update of the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF), to be released on June 8, provides the latest data across more than 50 indicators of sustainability under the four themes of Best Animal Care, Environmental Stewardship, Economic Resilience, and People and the Community.
ABSF Sustainability Steering Group (SSG) Chair, Mark Davie, said with the Annual Update now in its sixth edition, trends are being identified across a diverse range of measures.
"With five years of data on some of our metrics we are getting a better understanding of our successes, a sense of the rate of improvement, and, just as importantly, where we need to direct more attention," Mr Davie said.
"In the lead-up to the launch of the Annual Update, we knew the next evolution of this approach is to take these learnings and formulate goals to drive the industry forward and demonstrate to an increasingly sustainability-minded public its world-leading credentials."
John McKillop, chair of the Red Meat Advisory Council, which oversees the ABSF, said five goals will be unveiled at the launch of the Annual Update in Melbourne.
"The goals that we will announce have been formulated over a period of months and following extensive consultation with the industry, including a survey of participants," Mr McKillop said.
"This is an important development for the ABSF because maintaining trust with our consumers is critical to our ambition of expanding our international markets and doubling the value of Australian red meat sales by 2030."
The launch event for the Annual Update will also show a commitment to sustainability, right down to the menu, with a tasting of premium grassfed beef sourced under the new Greenham Beef Sustainability Standard (GBSS).
The GBSS was developed by the Victorian-based beef processor with the principles of the ABSF as a guide and successfully trialled with 21 cattle producers. The optional Standard is now in the process of being rolled out to Greenham's network of 4,000 cattle producers.
