Bigger Steps For Smaller Footprints Towards Climate Positive Beef

Dunbia is a leading supplier of beef and lamb in the UK and with our partners, FAI Farms and Promar International we will firstly quantify the extent of variation of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions across livestock production systems through engagement with farmers then work with them to mitigate and reduce them towards net zero. Globally, agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The IPCC's Special Report on Climate Change and Land (2019) estimates that agriculture is directly responsible for up to 8.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions with a further 14.5% coming from land use change. In the UK, emissions from industry remain a sizeable proportion of our total carbon footprint, and those from agriculture and horticulture account for about 10% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions.

The focus on cattle as a leading cause of climate change and biodiversity loss is growing (Fearnside2001; Leahy2019), however different agricultural livestock production practices can capitalize on carbon sequestration in both soil and biomass to reduce negative environmental effects (Owens, http://osufacts/okstate.edu).

The UK Government has recently announced a new, ambitious 2035 target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 78% (against a 1990 baseline). Bigger steps for smaller footprints towards climate positive beef is a Dunbia led two-year feasibility project that seeks to quantify the extent of GHG emissions from a representative sample of our farmer suppliers in England and across the UK then work with them to mitigate the effects of their production systems on the environment. The project is a collaboration with FAI Farms Limited and Promar International.

With the global demand for red meat forecast to grow by 80% by 2050 Dunbia takes its role in the procurement and supply of sustainably sourced beef and lamb seriously and the group is committed to helping make the production of red meat more sustainable for us all and our planet.