Beef Industry Sustainability Assessment

The U.S. Beef industry has often been under fire by anti-meat activists claiming that beef production is unsustainable. In response to that the beef industry has recently kicked off what it refers to as a “landmark sustainability assessment”. Through funding by The Beef Checkoff Program and a partnership with the BASF Corporation a more comprehensive assessment of the current state of the nation’s beef industry will be attainable. Previous research has already shown that beef’s carbon footprint in the United States as decreased by over eighteen percent in the last thirty years. Bo Reagan, of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says that by using a newly developed BASF Corporation “eco-efficiency” tool the beef industry will be able to identify factors that people feel need attention in the beef industry to enhance sustainability, and ultimately put a cost on addressing those hot spots. The U.S.beef industry is recognized around the world for having first rate practices and environmental stewardship, and through efforts such as these will continue to improve management practices in order to meet future consumer needs.