Measuring and tracking the sustainability of New Zealand’s beef sector was the focus of the New Zealand Roundtable for Sustainable Beef annual conference in Christchurch last week.
Panellists at the New Zealand Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (NZRSB) annual conference discuss the need for a sustainability framework for the red meat sector. From left: MIA Manager Strategy & Advocacy Leigh Shaw; Rabobank Head of Sustainable Business Development Blake Holgate; SPCA Certified National Manager Dr Kelly Drake; B+LNZ GM – Policy & Communications Rowena Hume.
B+LNZ is partnering with NZRSB and the Meat Industry Association to develop a Sustainability Framework that will track progress across the red meat value chain. The goal is to measure the red meat sector across a range of key metrics, including environmental, animal welfare and economic sustainability.
The objectives of measuring sustainability are to build public trust in the sheep and beef sector, strengthen policy and advocacy, provide a trusted and unified voice on matters of sustainability, and support marketing claims.
NZRSB conference attendees were updated on the first steps towards a Sustainability Framework, including exciting new research by Prism that will show biodiversity changes on sheep and beef farms since 1990. The research uses sophisticated aerial mapping and AI techniques to compare bush and tree growth over the last three decades, and the preliminary results look positive.
Lincoln University’s Professor Alan Renwick outlined initial feasibility work that has been undertaken to assess what international red meat producers are doing to measure sustainability, and to uncover what data is already available in New Zealand.
Ed Massey, General Manager Sustainability at New Zealand Winegrowers, discussed the value of sustainability reporting for the wine sector and how it related to the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand certification programme (SWNZ).
98% of New Zealand’s vineyard producing area is SWNZ certified. Over 90% of the wine produced in New Zealand is processed in SWNZ certified facilities. This level of industry-wide participation in a sustainability scheme is a massive point of difference for wine produced in New Zealand, he said.
Strategist Jordi Hoult offered insights into the long-term future of the red meat sector, looking at global and social influences up to 100 years in the future. This provided conference delegates valuable context for thinking about the long-term sustainability of the sector.
B+LNZ GM – Policy & Communications Rowena Hume says the discussions at the conference provided a solid basis for continuing to develop a Sustainability Framework.
“The big takeaway was that our international competitors are measuring sustainability and we should also take the opportunity to do so.
“We are looking at the next steps in the process – our plan is to start small and create a solid base that we can build on. It’s important to note that there are no plans to set targets for red meat producers or to create a certification framework as this is already covered by the New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme (NZFAP). We plan to rely on sources of data that do not require additional reporting from farmers.”