Greenham’s sustainable beef to feature at annual launch

Greenham’s Livestock Supply Chain Manager Jessica Loughland

Victorian-based beef processor Greenham will be serving up the premium grassfed beef sourced under its new Greenham Beef Sustainability Standard (GBSS) at the launch of the ABSF’s 2023 Annual Update.

The move follows Greenham’s successful pilot project, conducted in partnership with Meat & Livestock Australia, that introduced and evaluated the principles of the GBSS with 21 cattle producers from a range of production systems across southern Australia.

The on-farm standard was developed in response to market demand for transparent environmental credentials and the red meat industry’s CN30 target to be carbon neutral by 2030, and is now being rolled out as an option to Greenham’s network of about 4,000 cattle producers.

Greenham Supply Chain Manager, Jess Loughland, said the Standard was structured in three tiers, prioritizing education and planning in tier one and focusing on continual improvement and carbon neutrality in tiers two and three.

“Our goals were two-fold: to deliver consistent premium-quality beef raised in a manner that aligns with our customer’s values, and to drive adoption of best practice management to protect the land and communities in which we operate for future generations,” Ms Loughland said.

“It was also important to us that our program reflected broader industry priorities and provided producers with a clear path to contribute to CN30.”

With endorsement from Certified Humane®, beef produced from accredited tier two properties is eligible for an on-pack Certified Regenerative label, underpinning a suite of premium brands including Cape Grim and Bass Strait Beef in the US market.

As part of the evaluation phase of the pilot, producers were surveyed on their experience in implementing the requirements of the GBBS. Key findings of the project included:

• 82% of respondents reporting that implementing the standard on-farm was not cost-prohibitive, with some reporting it provided structure and a timeline to already planned and budgeted activities;
• 76% rating the GBSS as either 4/5 or 5/5 for practicality;
• many requirements overlapping with other industry accreditation programs across wool, cropping and dairy; and
• the key to adoption was making the training, tools and templates producers use to measure and record activities accessible and user-friendly.

“For us and our customers, it’s not about immediate perfection,” Ms Loughland said. “Everyone is starting from a different baseline with unique business, infrastructure and environmental factors that need to be taken into consideration.

“We wanted to provide producers with an accessible starting point with clear opportunities for improvement and a focal point on the horizon to work towards.”

Greenham’s efforts to improve sustainability across its operations and within its network was recognised at the recent Banksia Awards, where it was a finalist in two categories, a first for the beef industry at Australia’s longest running and most prestigious awards for sustainability.

“We’re so proud to be nominated as a finalist for the Banksia awards and to represent the innovative sustainability initiatives of the broader red meat industry,” she said.

“The nominations will further strengthen the credibility of the GBSS with customers in Greenham’s trusted premium markets and among our cattle supplier network.”