The Australian red meat industry’s commitment to sustainability has been recognised at a prestigious national award today.
The award has been given to the Carbon Neutral by 2030 (CN30) initiative, which is a collective industry effort driven by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) to reach the goal of being carbon neutral by 2030.
The CN30 program was winner of the ESG Enabler special award in the agriculture category within the Australian Financial Review Sustainability Leaders awards.
MLA Managing Director, Jason Strong, said that CN30 was already recognised globally for its leadership and vision setting for the Australian red meat and livestock sector, especially the way in which it strives for innovation that matches productivity outcomes with sustainability goals.
“CN30 build on the existing sustainability credentials of the Australian red meat industry,” Mr Strong said. “It is highly ambitious with clear targets for the industry, while also going hand-in-hand with the industry’s goal of doubling the value of red meat sales by 2030.”
He said investment in CN30 had been greater than $140 million since 2017, when the industry led the way by embarking on the CN30 journey.
The industry has already made significant inroads towards the goal. For example, up to the latest information as at 2020 the Australian beef industry reduced its net carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 64.9% since the 2005 baseline.
“The CN30 initiative recognises that the journey to carbon neutrality offers opportunities for red meat producers,” Mr Strong said.
“On- farm changes that result in a reduction in net emissions often create co-benefits such as increased productivity and profitability, long term business sustainability, improved biodiversity and other ecosystem service values. These co-benefits converge to build enduring prosperity for red meat industry stakeholders.
“This award is a strong acknowledgement of progress to date and another clear message that the Australian livestock sector is deliver positive environmental outcomes.
“There is more to do, and MLA is committed to working with everyone in the industry to continue the momentum.”
