AUSTRALIA should claim it’s rightful place at the front of global sustainable beef work, not just as a service to farmers but in the interests of taking such efforts forward.
That was the message from an international expert on sustainable food chains at Beef Australia in Rockhampton today.
Nicole Johnson-Hoffman is the chief sustainability officer for OSI Group, a global supplier of custom value-added food products, with offices in 17 countries and a portfolio of customers that includes the likes of Aldi, Costco, McDonalds and Subway.
OSI came to the sustainability table because its customers recognised the phenomenally fast-growing consumer demand for answers to where their food comes from and how it’s produced, she said.
They needed to be able to tell those consumers their products were sustainable.
Through extensive research and experience, OSI has come to the conclusion there are three key elements to sustainability: environmental soundness, social responsibility and economical viability, Ms Johnson-Hoffman said.
“There is no sustainability if (a supply chain) is not economically viable for farmers,” she said.
“When you’re talking about beef, producers universally tend to make decisions independent of their customers and so respect for property rights, the right to make decisions about animals, the history of the farm and the land is critical to building sustainability into a supply chain.”
One of the key things that demonstrated Australia’s leadership role in beef sustainability was the fact it’s work was farmer-led, Ms Johnson-Hoffman said.
“Other countries have done sustainability work they are proud of but haven’t put the farmer at the centre.
“Instead, people have gathered in a room and talked about what needs to improve, change and develop for their beef product to be sustainable and then presented that to the farmer after the fact.”
Ms Johnson-Hoffman said Australia’s efforts in this area - and she pulled out the Red Meat Advisory Council initiative the Beef Sustainability Framework and Queensland Agforce’s Grazing BMP (Best Management Practice) as examples - was superior to work she’d seen in other parts of the world.
“The information that farmers here are gathering and using to improve processes and protect the environment and social welfare is more holistic and comprehensive than other parts of the world,” she said.
“If you lay out that work side by side against other countries that are claiming to be further along the sustainability path, Australia should be very proud.
“If you don’t celebrate the quality of your work, other countries will continue to dominate this topic and will be able to promote processes that aren’t as credible and don’t necessarily deliver the same sustainability benefits.
“As a service not only to Australian farmers but farmers around the world, step forward, share the work you’ve done and claim credit for it.”