B.CCH.2301 - Greenhouse Gas Footprint of the Australian Red Meat Production and Processing Sectors 2020

Summary

The Australian red meat industry is a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), that contribute to climate change. As part of its climate action agenda, the industry is striving to become carbon neutral by 2030 and has been benchmarking its GHG footprint annually since 2015.

This report continues this series of GHG assessments, providing results for the calendar year 2020, along with updated results for the baseline year 2005 and the years 2015-2019.

Objectives

Provide an update of the GHG footprint of the Australian red meat production (farm and feedlot) and processing sectors, using data primarily sourced from the Australian National Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

Revise previous assessments for the baseline year 2005 and for the years 2015 to 2019 to reflect changes that have occurred in the underlying national inventory data.

Report the industry’s emissions reduction since 2005.

Key findings

In 2020, total GHG emissions attributed to the red meat industry were 51.25 Mt CO2-e, representing a 6.4% decrease compared to the previous year (2019) and a 64.9% decrease compared to the reference year of 2005. These emissions represented 10.3% of national GHG emissions in 2020. More than 90% of red meat industry GHG emissions were associated with grazing and land management.

Feedlot production contributed 5.8% of total GHG emissions, and processing contributed another 2.1%. The production and processing of beef cattle contributed most of the red meat industry GHG emissions (88.2%). Sheep and goats contributed 11.6% and 0.15% respectively. Compared to the previous year, the reduction in total red meat industry GHG emissions in 2020 was largely explained by reductions in livestock numbers.

Benefits to industry

Annual reporting of GHG emissions enables the industry to track performance towards key industry targets, including the red meat sector target to be carbon neutral by 2030 (CN30).

Understanding the industry's emissions profile can inform research and development and other strategic actions. Annual reporting of emissions can also play an important role in stakeholder communications, providing evidence that the industry is aware of the GHG footprint and is taking responsible action.

MLA action

1. Update fixed factors: The method that is presently used to calculate red meat industry GHG emissions uses a variety of fixed factors. For example, the electricity and energy used on farm and in feedlots are based on survey data published several years ago (Wiedemann et al. 2016, 2017). These fixed factors may not reflect current and future red meat industry emissions if farming systems become more or less intensive, or if resource use efficiency changes. The current method, using various fixed factors, may not be able to quantify some GHG emissions reduction interventions. As such, it is recommended to review the use of fixed factors and explore the potential for their periodic recalculation.
2. Explore methods for currently excluded emissions: The current method does not comprehensively cover all GHG emissions related to the red meat industry. For example, the inventory excludes GHG emissions associated with domestic transport of livestock, the export of live animals and meat products, the production of crops used to feed animals outside feedlots, and the manufacture and transport of fertilizers and other farming inputs. To illustrate, if seaweed-based feed supplements were used widely in the industry, the current method would not include the GHG emissions associated with seaweed cultivation and processing into a commercial product for distribution. These emissions may not be insignificant. As such it is recommended to explore methods for quantifying these omitted GHG emission sources.
3. Review of LULUCF emissions: LULUCF emissions and sequestrations are large and have a major bearing on overall results, yet they appear highly uncertain. For example, the current method uses a fixed factor of 0.68 for the proportion of “other native forest” available for livestock. Due to the likely importance of LULUCF emissions to the future attainment of CN30 targets, it is recommended to explore methods to reduce the uncertainties in LULUCF emission estimates.

Future research

The report suggests opportunities to improve the methodology so that it can more accurately reflect climate actions and production system changes.