Cargill partners Kennedy and Coe on cattle sustainability
Cargill Cattle Feeders will work with the firm, which it said has extensive beef industry and sustainability knowledge, on creating a successful benchmarking and measurement criteria, which it said could eventually be expanded to include cattle production in collaboration with stocker operators and ranchers, as well as its own strategic feed yard partners, said Cargill.
The assessment will begin with a year-long focus on the economic, environmental and community impact of its four feed yards in Texas, Kansas and Colorado. The data will then be analysed and used as a benchmarking tool to support ongoing improvements.
Dr Dan Thomson, bovine veterinarian and director of Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute, will provide technical support.
Customers of Cargill will also be able to provide their own sustainability criteria, meaning that bespoke reports can be provided, giving them data to measure their own supply chain sustainability progress.
John Keating, president of Cargill’s North American beef business, said: "As global demand for animal proteins to nourish people continues to rise, in concert with increasing population and consumer income levels, it is important to improve the way we use resources to produce beef.
"As a leading beef producer, we believe it is critical to improve the way we manage resources, and we will develop a way to measure the effective use of inputs and outputs ranging from water and feed, to worker safety, manure management, air quality, energy use, land stewardship and animal welfare. We believe this is a step in the right direction that complements our overall focus on sustainable supply chains and will also benefit our customers."
He added that as a founding member of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Cargill believed this initiative aligned itself well with the organisation’s principles.
"Given that beef will continue to be an important form of protein for people, we want to do as much as possible to ensure that it is produced responsibly and sustainably for current and future generations to enjoy," continued Keating.
