Yes to methane pledge, no to tax from South American beef: GRSB preview

But a methane tax would not be.

Cattle producers in countries like Brazil and Argentina are fighting hard for recognition of the genuine carbon sequestration that occurs on their farms, arguing the separation of emissions from sequestration means not seeing the full picture.

The regional director for South America for the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Josefina Eisele, tells a story of the challenges around sustainability in beef in Latin America that is so very similar to Australia's.

Ahead of the global GRSB conference in Denver, Colorado, in the United States next week, Ms Eisele has provided Farmonline with a candid look at the subject from the perspective of the nations she represents.

The GRSB is a worldwide network that sets the principles of sustainable beef production, champions best practice, facilitates the exchange of knowledge and fosters a collaborative approach.

It has 94 members, working in 24 different countries across six continents. Collectively, its members are responsible for more than two thirds of cross-border beef trade.

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Ms Eisele said myth busting was a huge part of the work GRSB does, helping to 'top-up' the education that consumers require to make better informed choices.

One of the biggest myths relates to the role that livestock plays in global emissions, she said.

"Recent research (Allen et al., 2018; Naranjo, 2019) has revealed that the global warming impact of cattle and similar animals has been vastly overestimated, proving that better research is needed to provide more accurate findings," she said.

"Emissions aren't the only area providing misinformation. The way cattle occupy land also falls into this category.

"Consumers have been led to believe that land used for rearing cattle should be used for crop growth, but in most of the regions where cattle ranching occurs the land itself isn't viable for plant growth or is inefficient for agriculture use."

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations provides strong evidence to dispel this myth, having previously documented that about half of agricultural land in Latin America and the Caribbean was not suitable for cultivation and could only be used as grazing land.

In Australia, the beef sustainability framework has identified that just three per cent of agricultural land is suited to cropping, so the 50pc of Australia's land mass - more than 4.2 million square kilometres - used by the red meat industry is really only suited to livestock.

The water footprint of beef has also come under scrutiny in both South America and Australia.

"It is common knowledge that cows consume large amounts of water, but what most people aren't aware of is where this water comes from," Ms Eisele said.

"A large majority of the water consumed is actually 'green water', a term used to describe water that is held in the ground and also the largest available freshwater resource used and managed by ranchers and farm owners."

On-the-ground work was already well established in South America to reduce methane emissions by 30pc by 2030, Ms Eisele said.

"At present the value chain is working together to implement practices that include rotational grazing to increase carbon sequestration in soil, updating feed selections to those of a higher quality and improving manure management," she said.

"Whilst these efficient and productive practices are being put in place by our members, the lack of proper measurement means we aren't always seeing accurate results of just how positive their impacts are.

"As such, GRSB is increasing efforts into measurement and reporting practices to demonstrate the positive action the beef industry is making to reduce emissions."

One solution, however, does not fit all, and a methane tax this an example of that.

"Producers should be encouraged through education of better practices and strategies that include genetic improvement of animals, implementation of technologies such as those for fattening and improvement of soils to avoid degradation - not through a tax," Ms Eisele said.

Countries in Latin America felt that many environmental taxes were being imposed as a punishment, instead of as a method of encouragement, she said.

"As such, the industry sees an opportunity for greater transfer of knowledge and training on good practices and necessary technologies, and incentives to adopt these instead," she said.

In Argentina, producers were already paying enormous taxes, and any additional taxes would affect their ability to adhere to practices that will result in increased sustainability.

"Brazil is one country with many existing projects that seek to reduce emissions, but due to its size there aren't sufficient resources to see even distribution among producers," Ms Eisele said.

"In addition to this, countries with historically unstable economies see a large number of small producers who, in many cases, have difficulties in implementing actions in the medium or long term and do not have access to sufficient incentives or recognition for their efforts from the market."

She said many of the world's beef producers understood and supported the need to reduce emissions, but on the other hand they did not feel responsible for the current concentrations of greenhouse gases in the global atmosphere when they compare their emissions with the highly emitting countries.

"The pressure and efforts should be made according to the possibilities," she said.

"International pressures on low emitting countries are seen as impractical and significant efforts from the high emitting countries are expected to be seen, instead of looking for one solution that fits all.

"For most Latin American countries, where the extensive production system predominates, with animals fed on natural pastures, they seek adequate recognition of the genuine carbon sequestration that occurs on their farms."