Cargill, one of the big four meat packers in the US, has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its North American beef supply chain.

Under the newly launched ‘BeefUp Sustainability’ imitative, the company has committed to achieving a 30% greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity reduction.

The opt-in initiative will reduce GHG emissions throughout its beef supply chain from a 2017 baseline, measured on a per pound of product basis.

The initiative is designed to engage a diverse set of stakeholders including producers, customers and innovators, the company said.

It will focus on four key areas: grazing management; feed production; innovation, and food waste reduction.

The new reduction target builds on the industry’s existing GHG efficiency efforts and will equate to removing 2 million cars from US highways for a year.

“This initiative builds on the strong environmental stewardship work already led by farmers and ranchers,” said Jon Nash, who leads Cargill’s North American protein business.

“Cargill is creating connections across the entire North American beef supply chain. Together, we can expand current sustainable agricultural practices to make a meaningful difference.”

Reducing emissions

Innovation within the North American beef industry has led to improved sustainability over the life cycle of cattle.

Today, US farmers and ranchers produce 18% of the world’s beef with only 8% of the world’s cattle.

In fact, according the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the North American beef supply chain is already more than 35% more efficient from a GHG perspective than the global average.

BeefUp Sustainability incorporates farmer and rancher feedback gathered through previous projects such as the Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Pilot, on-site visits with key supply chain stakeholders and producer panels.

Over the next 10 years, Cargill will work with a range of stakeholders to help achieve its goal.

Partnering for change

As an initial step in the BeefUp Sustainability initiative, Cargill will expand its partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

Already, Cargill and TNC are collaborating on programs such as the Central Nebraska Irrigation Project, which is working to save 2.4 billion gallons of irrigation water over three years — equivalent to the water used by roughly 7,200 households.

Over the next three years, Cargill and TNC will work hand-in-hand with farmers and ranchers to demonstrate how grazing management planning and adaptive management improves sustainability outcomes related to soil, carbon storage, vegetation, wildlife habitat, water and other ecological parameters.

These practices have also been shown to help producers be more resilient during extreme weather events.

In addition, Cargill is sponsoring the Yield Lab Institute’s Manure Innovation Challenge as an early step in the BeefUp Sustainability initiative.

The challenge will connect start-ups and companies to create solutions that capture the value from manure-based nutrients, fibre and energy, bringing them to market while creating on farm profitability.

A valuable resource, supporting new ideas for manure management is another way Cargill hopes to further improve the sustainability of beef production.