Technical review role for FAO Large Ruminant working group

Summary

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has developed an initiative known as the 'Partnership on the Environmental Benchmarking of Livestock Supply Chains" to address global challenges in livestock production. The general aims are to contribute to improved environmental performance of the livestock sector, while considering social and economic viability. The International Meat Secretariat is working closely with FAO on this initiative and has called on partners to assist in this process.
More specifically, the partnership aims to promote the exchange of data and information, technical expertise and research towards improving and harmonising the way in which livestock food chains are assessed and monitored. This will be done by:
1. Developing guidelines, metrics, methods and indicators geared towards measuring environmental performance, allowing for constant and consistent improvements of practices in livestock supply chains.
2. Convening a technical working group of recognised global LCA experts to contribute to this methodology and provide region-specific expertise.
In May 2013, the FAO called for nominations of experts to participate in a Large Ruminant technical working group (TAG). This group will meet in Rome in September 2013 to begin work on standardised methods for conducting global LCA in the beef and dairy sector. Australia has a strong interest in this initiative. As a major global beef exporter, Australia is exposed to perceptions around beef that may influence consumer decisions and therefore demand. The recently released FAO ruminant GHG report had a number of inaccuracies that led to a higher impact being reported from global beef production in general, and Australian beef production in specific.
Meat and Livestock Australia had the opportunity to recommend a LCA expert to the large ruminant TAG. Steve Wiedemann of FSA Consulting has been recommended as a nomination based on his research in this field for the industry.
The FAO have outlined a work program which is expected to continue over three years. The goals in the first year (2013-14) are to develop a large ruminant LCA guideline for estimating GHG emissions. TAG members are asked to contribute to this method and to contribute 'country specific' data to assist future FAO LCA research. This involves attendance at bi-annual face-to-face working group meetings at the FAO Head Quarters in Rome. FAO suggest the time requirement for participation is approx. 3 weeks per year over the three years. There is scope to reduce this time requirement by providing written input that has already been developed as in-kind through MLA funded research.
Via participation in the TAG, the project will provide MLA with:
1. Detailed, strategic feedback regarding progress and issues surrounding livestock LCA internationally
2. Contribution to and advancement of technical issues such as co-production issues with beef and dairy, and with beef and meat processing co-products.
3. Opportunity to critique and influence FAO methods and assumptions in much more detail than is currently available.