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Nov. 19, 2014 Feedstuffs reports: A GLOBAL definition of sustainable beef - a work in progress for 18 months - officially received final approval by members of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) at its global conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Still, reaching a mutual definition upon which the multi-stakeholder members - including participants from McDonald's, World Wildlife Fund, Certified Angus Beef and National Cattlemen's Beef Assn. - could agree was not an easy process. "Arriving at a common definition, which includes five core principles and detailed criteria for sustainable beef, has been a difficult task and one which took a lot of hours and a great deal of negotiation," GRSB executive director Ruaraidh "Rory" Petre said. "Our members are to be commended for their commitment to finding common ground and identifying a clear path forward as we work to improve the sustainability of the global beef chain." More than 96% of the 260 delegates from 19 nations casted a vote in favor of GRSB's global principle, criteria and definition of sustainable beef and sustainable beef production practices. GRSB defines sustainable beef as a socially responsible, environmentally sound and economically viable product that prioritizes: the planet (relevant principles include natural resources, efficiency and innovation, people and the community), people (principles include people, the community and food), animals (principles include animal health and welfare, efficiency and innovation) and progress (principles include natural resources, people and the community, animal health and welfare, food, efficiency and innovation). "GRSB's definition provides clarity to discussions about sustainability that have been nebulous in the past," GRSB president Cameron Bruett said. "It is our expectation that the principles and criteria will better enable members of our value chain to discuss beef sustainability clearly and identify the next steps in our collective journey of continuous improvement. If we are successful, each one of these steps will ultimately build consumer trust in our production practices, our products and our positive contributions to society." Bruett pointed out, however, that the work of GRSB is not designed to be the end-all standard or mandate for beef production worldwide. "We know that mandated practices or a single 'one-size-fits-all' approach to beef production will not work for our members around the globe," Bruett said. "Instead, it is our intention to work with the regional and national roundtables as they identify locally focused solutions to meet the unique challenges they face in their region. We view our work as an exercise in empowerment, where people on the ground who have a vested interest in the success of their industry, their ecosystem and their community can achieve results that are relevant locally and meaningful globally." The next steps for GRSB include working with regional and national sustainable roundtables to identify areas where improvements and efficiencies can be made. In addition, GRSB plans to release detailed advice, based on each criteria point, for beef farmers and ranchers who want to achieve verified sustainable beef production status. For the global food chain, GRSB participant McDonald's said this final approval supports its mission to start purchasing verified sustainable beef in 2016. At the beginning of this year, the company had announced its push to source verified sustainable beef for its restaurants (Feedstuffs, Jan. 13). Many of the U.S. beef industry's competitors - such as Canada, Brazil and Europe - already have the gears turning for producing sustainable beef, with national-level roundtables already established. On the sidelines of the global conference, Keith Kenny, head of sustainability for McDonald's Europe, told local media that the "race is on" internally to be the first verified sustainable beef supplier for the company. Meanwhile, Michele Banik-Rake, director of sustainability for McDonald's USA, indicated that the company is already working with the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, the Canadian Cattlemen's Assn. and ranchers on the first formal pilot project since the first of the year. Banik-Rake told Feedstuffs that Canadian beef leaders' demonstrated desire to source sustainable beef appealed to McDonald's. In addition, the existing supply chain infrastructure in Canada aligns with the goals of the company. "Cargill supplies a majority of our beef in Canada and has direct oversight of abattoirs and processing facilities that provide beef to our restaurants," Banik-Rake said. "For a pilot test, it is easier to manage a smaller number of suppliers, and McDonald's restaurants in Canada only use beef sourced from Canadian beef suppliers." Brazil, Colombia and Mexico also have working national-level roundtables already, putting them ahead of the U.S. beef industry. In fact, Brazil's roundtable group, Grupo de Trabalho da Pecuaria Sustentavel, will soon launch a pilot project for its verified sustainable beef chain. "All areas are eager to be the first to provide verified sustainable beef to the McDonald's system, and they have been aligning themselves with the work of the GRSB through various local and regional roundtables along the way," Banik-Rake said. "Local and regional markets will ultimately determine how the principles and criteria will guide the establishment of indicators and verification for their market." As for the U.S., Banik-Rake indicated that the pilot program will allow other markets to learn and develop their own plan. Moreover, she said all markets - including the U.S. - are committed to McDonald's goal of sourcing a portion of the beef supply from verified sustainable sources by 2016. Tweet |
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