RED MEAT - Green Facts

Reference Meat and Livestock Australia.

http://www.redmeatgreenfacts.com.au

The Australian red meat and livestock industry recognises that as custodians of nearly 50% of Australia's land mass that we have a responsibility to sustainably manage our environment for all Australians while providing a valuable, quality food product. We also recognise that we have an environmental impact, which we work hard to minimise. IMportantly livestock farmers can play a key role in capturing Australia's carbon emissions by maintaining healthy soils, grasslands and trees.

Unlike most other industries Australian farmerss make their living on the land and invest their time, money and passion into ensuring that their farms are sustainable for their families, their community, the environment and for Australias and the worlds food supply.

Australian beef and sheep producers are committed to making their farming practices environmentally sustainable and to seeking continual improvement. As part of this commitment Meat & Livestock Australia on behalf of our industry, in collaboration with the Australian Government, invests over $13 milliion annually in research and development to further reduce the environmentla impact of the industry.

A Natural Process

Grazing livestock is a natural process that forms part of the fabric of Australians culture. In Australia, large animals have exissted alongside plants for at least 50,000 years. Today cattle continue this mutually benificail coexistence of plants and large animals. Cattle grazing is important for biodiversity, fire control and increasing the amount of carbon the soil is able to store.

World Leaders

Australian red meat is recognised globally as being amoungst the best in the world for environmental management. In fact Australian meat is produced with one of the lowest Carbon emission profiles of any major meat producing country while injecting $16 billion ino the nations's economy and employing over 172,000 people.

Sustainable Agriculture initiative http://www.saiplatform.org/

SAI platform is an organisation created by the food industry in Europe, to communicate and actively support the development of sustainable agriculture involving stakeholders of the food chain.

The industy, through Meat & Livestock Australia is an active member of the Sustainable Agricultural Initiative (SAI) Platform.