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Beef industry stakeholders solidify commitment to sustainable practices
Story Date: 2/23/2012
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Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 2/22/12
Companies in the beef-production continuum joined environmental advocates today in solidifying a commitment to doing business with sustainable practices that will help feed a growing population without further damaging the earth.
Cargill, JBS, Walmart and McDonald’s, along with other corporations and nature groups including the World Wildlife Fund, announced the formation of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) as an independent, non-profit organization that will formalize such efforts through legal statutes and bylaws. The announcement comes as these players face the task of feeding a rapidly increasing world population, and beef is going to play a big role in that overall effort.
"We understand the needs of the global community, especially when looking forward and by 2050 we're projected to have about 2.5 billion to 3 billion more mouths to feed on the planet," Cargill spokesman Mike Martin said on a telephone media briefing. "We also recognize that we have a responsibility to be stewards of resources we use to produce those foods."
Producing more food without having to compromise more natural resources is the dilemma at hand, but GRSB members believe it can be addressed. Dave McGloughlin, vice president of livestock for the World Wildlife Fund, told Meatingplace on the call that one of the focuses will be improving yields. Considering the United States accounts for only 7 percent of the world's beef-producing animals and 20 percent of the world's beef harvest, there is plenty of upside elsewhere in the world, he said.
Registration under Swiss law will allow GRSB to support local, regional and national roundtable members who propose new innovations, technologies and share best practices in beef production systems. It also will facilitate funding that the Dutch government has pledged to help efforts on small farms over the next four years.
The GRSB roundtables comprise representatives from industry, non-profit organizations, associations, academia and think tanks. They work to identify measurable, scientific methods to reduce environmental impact and help stakeholders implement them.
GRSB stemmed from the Global Conference on Sustainable Beef held in November 2010 in Denver. The organization has since been trying to build membership all over the world. It plans to participate in meetings in Australia in May at the Australian Beef Conference, and intends to hold the second Global Conference on Sustainable Beef later this year.
For more stories, go to http://www.meatingplace.com/.
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