Sustainability is a job that never stops or goes on holiday, but everyone takes a bit more notice this time of year thanks to Earth Day. It’s a good time to take stock of where you are and what you’re doing vis a vis the environment, and make sure you’re moving in the direction you want to be and focusing on the right goals.
Here are some of the bits we’re proudest of as Australian Beef and Lamb producers:
What often gets lost in the conversation about red meat and the planet is that how animals are raised is much more important in the climate calculus than where it comes from. The transport phase – even from Australia to the US – accounts for less than 5% of the environmental impact. When beef and lamb are carefully and thoughtfully raised on open grasslands that are best suited for natural grazing, you get a consistent, high-quality product without the negative climate impacts.
Farmers Down Under are doing this today, with operations that incorporate carbon neutrality, biodiversity and soil health all while producing some of the world’s best grassfed beef and lamb.
Take Mark Wootton of Jigsaw Farms for example – with a property that’s 13 square miles (nearly twice the size of San Francisco!) there’s room to roam and to plant over 670,000 trees (yes you read that right) for carbon sequestration and shade and shelter for animals. Carbon neutral since 2010!
Good onya Mark, and to all our farmers in Australia working to honor our industry’s pledge to be Carbon Neutral by 2030.