Production sustainability credentials are becoming increasingly important for Australian beef producers to secure export market access and source capital, industry panellists said at the Beef2024 event in Queensland this week.
There is growing industry concern about the impact of the incoming EU deforestation regulation (EUDR) in December, which will require cattle exporters to provide evidence that the land used in production did not cause deforestation or forest degradation.
Such regulations may present a barrier to access if applied without acknowledging local production systems, said Australian sustainability firm Organic Systems and Solutions chief executive Marg Will and private investment firm Macdoch's executive chairperson Alasdair Macleod.
The EU represents a small fraction of Australia's beef exports, but Will and Macleod stressed that compliance with sustainability regulations will increasingly influence the cost of finance available to producers.
But the Australian beef industry is making headway in achieving sustainability targets.There is continuing progress towards the five sustainability goals announced by the Red Meat Advisory Council in 2023, according to the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) annual update released on 8 May. All indicators of animal welfare and environmental stewardship goals were improving or steady, except for processor waste to landfill, according to the ASBF report. Approximately 81pc of producers were reported to be adopting practices to improve soil water retention in 2023, up from 46.9pc in the last report, although the data was compiled from a separate source.
Australia's beef industry is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2030 and the sector reduced its net CO2 emissions by 78pc between 2005-21, mainly because of avoided land clearing and deforestation.
| ABSF Annual Update - Select Goal Indicators | % | |
| 2024 Report | 2023 Report | |
| Best Animal Care | ||
| Cattle properties covered by a documented biosecurity plan | 75.6 | 86.0 |
| Mortality rate of cattle exported on sea voyages | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Environmental Stewardship | ||
| Cattle producers adopting practices to improve soil water retention | 81.0 | 46.9 |
| Total CO2e reduced by beef industry from a 2005 baseline | 78.2 | 64.1 |
| Economic Resilience | ||
| Value share of Australian beef exports covered by one or more preferential trade agreements | 91.0 | 90.3 |
| Source: ABSF | ||
| Values based off varied reporting periods | ||
