Beef's march towards carbon neutrality is making solid ground, the latest scientific assessment of emissions attributable to the production and processing of beef, sheep and goats shows.
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In 2021, net greenhouse gas emissions from the red meat industry were 31 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, representing a 78pc decrease compared to the reference year of 2005.
That is an improvement on the widely-quoted 65pc of 2020.
The pool of carbon on livestock country has been boosted by low rates of clearing and larger volumes of regrowth but there is acknowledgement that good seasonal conditions have played a role - something that won't be reproduced in dryer years.
Still, the position of the industry in terms of net emission reduction leads that of other sectors of the economy and is at the forefront of global beef industry efforts to be a part of the climate change solution.
When Meat & Livestock Australia announced the industry target of carbon neutrality by 2030, or CN30, a baseline year of 2005 was chosen to measure against as it aligns with the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The industry has been measuring its progress in reducing its GHG footprint since and the report released today by MLA is the latest installment.
Compiled by the national science agency the CSIRO, it shows the new figure of reduction based on the 2021 Australian National Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
MLA's CN30 project manager Julia Waite said the reduction in the net emissions position was primarily due to impacts in the land use sector.
"Low rates of clearing and greater volumes of regrowth have contributed to a larger pool of carbon on land associated with livestock management, bringing down the collective position of the sector," Ms Waite said.
"The contribution from land use change was particularly significant between 2020 and 2021 due to high rainfall, which was 9pc above the historical average, and conditions favourable for vegetation growth during La Nina.
"The contrast is especially stark given the previous two reporting years were marred by drought and bushfires.
"Given the variability of the Australian climate, we anticipate sequestration volumes will retract when conditions trend back towards drier El Nino."
Emissions are attributed to the red meat industry based on animal numbers, feed intake, livestock processed and resource use.
The largest proportion of direct emissions from red meat is enteric methane produced by grazing beef cattle. These emissions have remained stable in recent years.
Sequestration attributable to the red meat sector is estimated from FullCAM which uses satellite imagery to account for change in Australia's landscape.
Ms Waite said the annual emissions reports by MLA continued to be informed by the best available science and nationally-maintained data. The latest report revises historical emissions, as more accurate data and methods were adopted into the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
Much more in depth detail on the industry's progress in reducing emissions will be published in the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework Annual Update, which will be launched at Beef Australia in Rockhampton next week.
Ms Waite said that while the trajectory was positive since 2005, MLA recognised the broader expectation for direct emissions reduction while maintaining production of high-quality protein.
This was supported by investment in research and development, and initiatives to support Australian red meat producers to adopt practices that provide a win-win for business and the environment.
"In the short to medium term, sequestration helps to balance the ledger while the private and public sector continues to invest in options for direct emissions reduction," Ms Waite said.
"Increasing production and resource efficiency, use of renewable energy, and manure management are the primary tools at our disposal today to lower emissions of livestock production.
"Novel interventions like low methane pastures, supplements, and genetic indexes are likely to play a bigger role in the later part of the decade, provided they are commercially viable with co-benefits for the whole farm business.
"Over time this can reduce the reliance on sequestration."
