Around the world, the beef industry is the subject of a growing ethical debate. Many people seem to think that producing beef for national distribution is a way of living that doesn’t look beyond today’s meal.
Supposedly in the interest of climate consciousness, some food-focused websites and high-end restaurants have dropped beef altogether, and the number of people who have considered cutting beef from their diet has risen.
Most Canadians don’t realize a kilogram of Canadian beef has about half the global average greenhouse gas footprint, mainly because of Canadian cattle’s different diet, the efficiency of our farm-to-table supply chain, and rising crop yields over recent decades.
People think all beef has a high footprint but it’s important to understand that the numbers vary a lot from country to country and region to region and that ours are comparatively low.
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Cattle farmers are more than happy to participate in the discussion surrounding climate change. But we want to make Canadians more aware that our industry: produces a product that’s still very much in demand, has long practiced sound sustainability, and is home to a large and highly engaged workforce that understands its impact goes beyond the bottom line.
