P.PSH.1331 - Argyle Foods Group – Sustainable Land, Cattle and Beef Research and Development

Summary

This research project addressed the questions raised in transitioning a traditional grazing system to one defined by regenerative practices, with focus on reducing emissions intensity while improving productivity. It is vital to understand the opportunities and limitations that define this process as the Australian red meat industry has set a target to be carbon neutral by 2030 (CN30). Moreover, governments and markets globally are incentivising the transition to regenerative systems, offering a win-win scenario for those who successfully implement sustainable activities.

Objectives

This research project had seven key objectives, all of which have been achieved.
1) Encourage the adoption of sustainable agriculture production and enable farm gate branding.
2) Capture carbon through regenerative agricultural practices.
3) Enable best practice knowledge transfer by registering and managing projects as a service to landholders who don't otherwise have the capability.
4) Engage in commercial partnerships to expand the land under decarbonisation management improving land biodiversity and natural capital reserves.
5) Innovate through partnerships with researchers, academia and industry to innovate, collaborate and accelerate best practice.
6) Leverage our reputation and business model to promote and demonstrate best practice carbon farming methodologies to enhance the integrity of the Australian carbon market.
7) Develop a trusted red meat brand that delivers on its customer promise of sustainability, health, socially responsible and Carbon Neutrality.

Key findings

• ACCU Scheme Projects
Historical data is needed to deliver key documents to the CER when registering and reporting on carbon projects. This must cover the baseline period (usually five years) and be contextually relevant to selected activities.
GIS Mapping is required to legally establish the boundaries of project and ineligible zones.
Upfront management costs are significant barriers to entry for carbon projects and should be understood based on the chosen methodology. Costs can be separated into two key groups of audit costs and operational costs.
Applications for carbon projects must contain all relevant information.

• Property Acquisition
Any given piece of agricultural land in Australia can be diversified from a base production system and there are state and federal schemes available to help do so.
There are publicly available tools and resources to help understand government schemes and estimate the value of your own land under them.

• Branding and communications
Establishing trust should be a main priority in branding.
Avoid greenwashing and overclaiming. Understand the validity of certain certification schemes and only pursue them if they truly align with your sustainability goals.

• Leveraging niche capabilities
Carbon advisory providers are very important at this stage of the ACCU market’s maturity as there are many niche, technical skills required in estimating the potential of a property and planning accordingly. Work with consultants and providers who give sound advice and do not take project autonomy away from you.

Benefits to industry

To foster operational change of Argyle Foods Group grazing system under an integrated supply chain, offering valuable insight for the industry into the current challenges and opportunities for producers. The recount of Argyle's experience sheds light on possible solutions that the industry can implement as best practice, extract maximum value from emerging markets and technologies, and transition to low emissions systems as quickly as possible.

MLA action

Argyle Foods Group’s co-innovation strategy aimed to increase the area of agricultural land under decarbonisation management, increase the capability of regenerative agricultural management of our network and capture market opportunities to demonstrate the ability to sustainably produce red meat. The program sought to focus on five key project pillars: Registering/Baseline Measurement, Avoidance, Sequestration, Accounting and Value Capture.

Future research

Argyle Foods Group is committed to values of transparency and collaboration and will continue to partner with industry and academic bodies to recommend further research and development in the following areas:
- The impact of specific land use activities on the sequestration of carbon and general soil health.
- Identifying the viability of carbon projects based on climate and topographical features.
- Improvement of the ACCU Scheme’s Beef Herd Management Methodology, particularly as it relates to data requirements of the Calculator.