Nobody is exempt from Ottawa’s greenhouse gas emissions targets — not even cattle.According to the Canadian Rountable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) Canada’s beef producers have reduced greenhouse gas emissions from cattle farming by 15% per kilo of boneless cuts such as chuck and hamburger over 2014 levels.The bad news is they still have to find another 18% in cuts — of methane, not meat — to meet federal targets by 2030.According to its second National Beef Sustainability Assessment, the first since 2016, the improvement is largely attributed to increased efficiencies of cattle growth, leading to a smaller overall carbon footprint as fewer resources (e.g. land, water and feed) are required to produce the same volume of beef.“That's comparable to a reduction we actually saw over a 30-year period in some of the original earlier work that we did,” said CRSB and Saskatchewan beef producer Ryan Beierbach.The report is part of the United Nations‘ Sustainable Development Goalswere adopted by all UN member states in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve them.Although he admitted the industry will be pressed to meet that target without some combination of technological advances and efficiency improvements, Beierbach said the industry’s performance to date has given him optimism the targets can be met, not just for cattle.That includes measures such modifying feed to produce less flatulence to the calving process of live birthing the animals themselves..“When we look at feed additives that looks like an opportunity where we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially in feedlot animals. On the cow calf level, we see things such as weaning more live calves and you know better reproductive efficiency,” he said.“Things like that we can do that'll help help reduce the greenhouse gas footprint. So, you know, some of its tied to better efficiency. And some of its tied to, you know, new technologies, I guess.”.“We want to continue making the same delicious burgers our guests have loved over the past 57 years in Canada. We are dedicated to ensuring that the beloved taste and quality go hand in hand,”McDonald’s Canada.Beierbach said Canada is better positioned than other countries to reduce emissions simply owing to the fact agricultural areas consist of vast grasslands where cattle are already an important part of the ecosystem.Land used for beef production contributes the majority of critical habitat that wildlife needs for both reproduction (74%) and feeding (55%) when all of Canada’s crop and pastureland is considered. The report also shows land used for beef cattle production is estimated to store 1.9 billion tonnes of soil organic carbon and with overall loss of habitat, Canadian beef farmers and ranchers play an important role in preserving intact critical habitat wildlife need for reproduction and feeding.Concurrent with the findings, peer-reviewed scientific paper highlighting the Environmental Life Cycle Assessment results has been published in the Canadian Journal of Animal Science.Other findings underscore the importance of animal welfare, which is an important consideration for consumers.And, according to Hope Bentley, McDonald’s Canada’s head of supply chain management, taste. The ubiquitous fast-food enterprise has been operating in Canada for almost six decades and is a founding member of the CRSB. It’s also one of the largest buyers of Canadian beef and sources at least 30% of the meat for its Quarter Pounder burgers from farms and ranches certified to CRSB standards.“We want to continue making the same delicious burgers our guests have loved over the past 57 years in Canada. We are dedicated to ensuring that the beloved taste and quality go hand in hand,” he said.
Nobody is exempt from Ottawa’s greenhouse gas emissions targets — not even cattle.According to the Canadian Rountable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) Canada’s beef producers have reduced greenhouse gas emissions from cattle farming by 15% per kilo of boneless cuts such as chuck and hamburger over 2014 levels.The bad news is they still have to find another 18% in cuts — of methane, not meat — to meet federal targets by 2030.According to its second National Beef Sustainability Assessment, the first since 2016, the improvement is largely attributed to increased efficiencies of cattle growth, leading to a smaller overall carbon footprint as fewer resources (e.g. land, water and feed) are required to produce the same volume of beef.“That's comparable to a reduction we actually saw over a 30-year period in some of the original earlier work that we did,” said CRSB and Saskatchewan beef producer Ryan Beierbach.The report is part of the United Nations‘ Sustainable Development Goalswere adopted by all UN member states in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve them.Although he admitted the industry will be pressed to meet that target without some combination of technological advances and efficiency improvements, Beierbach said the industry’s performance to date has given him optimism the targets can be met, not just for cattle.That includes measures such modifying feed to produce less flatulence to the calving process of live birthing the animals themselves..“When we look at feed additives that looks like an opportunity where we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially in feedlot animals. On the cow calf level, we see things such as weaning more live calves and you know better reproductive efficiency,” he said.“Things like that we can do that'll help help reduce the greenhouse gas footprint. So, you know, some of its tied to better efficiency. And some of its tied to, you know, new technologies, I guess.”.“We want to continue making the same delicious burgers our guests have loved over the past 57 years in Canada. We are dedicated to ensuring that the beloved taste and quality go hand in hand,”McDonald’s Canada.Beierbach said Canada is better positioned than other countries to reduce emissions simply owing to the fact agricultural areas consist of vast grasslands where cattle are already an important part of the ecosystem.Land used for beef production contributes the majority of critical habitat that wildlife needs for both reproduction (74%) and feeding (55%) when all of Canada’s crop and pastureland is considered. The report also shows land used for beef cattle production is estimated to store 1.9 billion tonnes of soil organic carbon and with overall loss of habitat, Canadian beef farmers and ranchers play an important role in preserving intact critical habitat wildlife need for reproduction and feeding.Concurrent with the findings, peer-reviewed scientific paper highlighting the Environmental Life Cycle Assessment results has been published in the Canadian Journal of Animal Science.Other findings underscore the importance of animal welfare, which is an important consideration for consumers.And, according to Hope Bentley, McDonald’s Canada’s head of supply chain management, taste. The ubiquitous fast-food enterprise has been operating in Canada for almost six decades and is a founding member of the CRSB. It’s also one of the largest buyers of Canadian beef and sources at least 30% of the meat for its Quarter Pounder burgers from farms and ranches certified to CRSB standards.“We want to continue making the same delicious burgers our guests have loved over the past 57 years in Canada. We are dedicated to ensuring that the beloved taste and quality go hand in hand,” he said.
