New Zealand’s first edition of the goals and targets aligned with the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef has been published.
The 2023 annual report of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) says the New Zealand Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (NZRSB) has finished the first goals consultation process with members and key stakeholders.
NZRSB members include four meat processors, producers, food retailers, observers and allied service companies, including Beef + Lamb NZ.
The outcomes were published in September, beneath the vision that NZ beef will be recognised as the world’s most sustainable beef, continuously improving outcomes that are that are environmentally sound, economically viable and socially responsible.
The NZRSB mission is that the NZ beef value chain will strive together to produce the world’s most sustainable beef through strategic, collaborative, co-ordinated and transparent actions.
The NZRSB goals include four animal health and welfare objectives, a climate goal, a nature-positive goal and some organisational goals.
In its annual report, the GRSB said 2021 and 22 were the years of setting goals and 2023 was the year of reporting on them.
President Ian McConnel, from Australia, and executive director Ruaraidh Petre, who lives in Nelson, NZ, said a reporting framework and template has been used to collect both quantitative and qualitative information from national roundtables.
“This project has captured the extensive work done over many years of some of our roundtables while encouraging an initial baselining effort by others.
“The ongoing efforts to measure continuous improvement will greatly increase the transparency and honesty with which we can communicate the incredible improvements being made around the globe.”
Petre represented the GRSB at the COP28 conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he said there was a clear anti-beef agenda.
“Anti-livestock lobbyists sought out ways to push their views by releasing guides on greenwashing terms the livestock industry may use and pushed the organisers to increase the number of plant-based foods on its menu.
“I made it clear that GRSB’s mission at COP28 wasn’t to slander any organisation, business, or market, but to share the importance of livestock production across the world.
“Livestock production is a key part of the overall food system, as important to human nutrition as it is to maintain healthy soils for crop production. We need to help policymakers understand the need for holistic solutions, not just one-liners and simplistic approaches to complex issues.”
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