This month the Annual Update for the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework is due to be released.
It's a critical milestone for the beef industry as we get to recount what we've done to satisfy the endless need for social licence - whatever that means - and to again prove our credentials to our customers, clients and Government.
I have been disappointed to note that some of my fellow producers are quick to criticise the Framework and the important work that it does for our industry.
I've even heard it referred to as an 'annual pilgrimage to the altar of virtue' which sounds pretty impressive to be honest, but in reality, fails to recognise the true purpose of the document.
Virtue signaling is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as "the popular modern habit of indicating that one has virtue merely by expressing disgust or favour for certain political ideas or cultural happenings.".
And there seems to be a plague of virtue signallers now - from black squares posted on social media, to people gluing themselves to busy roads to protest climate change.
Virtue signalling is seen by many to be hypocritical, so many people talking the talk, but do they walk the walk?
That is where we are different.
The beef industry in Australia is one of the most progressive and environmentally friendly in the world.
And we can prove it - with science and objective measurement - by referring to the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework.
We're not just saying we're great - we're proving it with a document that sets out clear goals, standards and principles that meet the needs of almost every single beef producer in Australia and makes us a good investment by some of the biggest retailers and consumers of beef in the country.
We are talking the talk AND walking the walk.
And the great thing about this is that by and large we the producers haven't had to change a single thing about what we do, because we were already doing it.
This Framework recognises our good land management practices and high animal welfare standards and sets them out in a document that is easy to read, provides scientific evidence to back our claims and sets targets to encourage continuous development to ensure that we are always at the forefront of beef production standards in the world.
The Australian Beef Industry Framework should be compulsory reading for every person in Australia.
It's a perfect demonstration of how a diverse industry can share common goals and values and deliver an environmentally friendly product that feeds the world.
After all, when a company like McDonalds that buys more than 25 million kilograms of Australian beef per year, does about $5 billion worth of business and uses our framework as part of their environmental credentials, you know we're doing something right.
And those people who would like to continue to make unsubstantiated claims about how we're ruining the environment?
Point them in the direction of the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework website or get them a hard copy, it's a very useful weapon in the fight against activist ignorance if you use it correctly.
- Gillian Fennell lives with her family on a remote beef property in outback South Australia and is board member of the Cattle Council of Australia. You can follow Gillian on Twitter @stationmum101
