Sustainable agricultural practices are essential to feeding a growing and voracious global population.
Farmers
throughout Australia clearly recognise the need for sustainable
agriculture. In short, sustainable farms lead to a sustainable business
that can be handed down through generations.
There is a strong
argument for an industry-based environmental stewardship system that
recognises sustainable agriculture practices.
While environmental
groups, producer bodies and regional groups in Australia have filled
the gap, an umbrella environmental stewardship program would be
beneficial.
The industry is in the process of developing a
stewardship management system for producers, to allow more effective
management and reporting on sustainable agricultural practices.
This
system will address five crucial areas: greenhouse gas and energy
management; land use and management; soil and water; biodiversity; and
feral animals and weeds.
Australian red meat producers actively
undertake measures at each stage of production to increase their
efficiency, cut greenhouse gas emissions and manage other environmental
impacts to help preserve our natural resources.
The domestic red
meat industry invests more than $7.5 million each year in research and
development (R&D) to find ways to make constant improvements to its
environmental performance.
This includes collaborating with other
livestock industries and governments in R&D to find practical ways
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing productivity. Since
1990, emissions from red meat production have decreased by 6.5% per
kilogram of product.
Through
holistic management of their properties, Australian farmers nurture not
only their livestock but the soil, trees, micro-organisms, native
animals and vegetation that make up their production system. Not only is
this important for sustainable farms but it is important for
Australia’s quest to cut overall emissions.
A worldwide analysis
of the effects of land management on soil carbon showed there is on
average about 8% more soil carbon under well-managed pasture than under
native forests.
While sustainable farming practices make good
business sense, consumers are also increasingly seeking more information
about the sustainability profile of their red meat.
The
Australian red meat industry is actively engaged with the Sustainable
Agricultural Initiative (SAI) Platform – a unique initiative set up in
Europe five years ago by leading food companies with a conviction that a
common food and agricultural industry platform can promote sustainable
agriculture at a global level.
The SAI Platform is an independent
association operating across the agriculture, food and fibre chain and
aims to change practices to improve agriculture sustainability outcomes.
The Platform’s business approach is known as the ‘PPPs’ where three dimensions are considered – people, profit and the planet.
Australian
agriculture is in a strong position to meet the growing global demand
for food. As an agricultural nation with a strong focus on exports,
Australia’s farmers are committed to sustainable agricultural systems.
To
continue to harvest the long-term economic benefits of food production,
Australia’s farmers need to continue to innovate and invest in
sustainable agriculture.