E.SUB.0010 - Trends Analysis of the Australian Beef Industry 2020
Did you know only 400 litres of water is used per kilogram of cattle liveweight gain, down 18% over the most recent five years, and 73% lower than 1985?
| Project start date: | 14 November 2022 |
| Project end date: | 15 November 2023 |
| Publication date: | 28 July 2023 |
| Project status: | In progress |
| Livestock species: | Grain-fed Cattle, Grass-fed Cattle |
| Relevant regions: | National, Cold wet, Dry, Mediterranean, Tropical warm season wet, Sub-tropical moist, Sub-tropical sub-humid, Temperate, Temperate sub-humid, Tropical Moist, Tropical wet |
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Summary
Beef herd productivity has increased substantially over the past 40 years. In the five years to 2020, total beef production declined, but per herd productivity factors, including growth and weaning rates, increased slightly, despite many eastern Australian cattle production regions experiencing record drought during 2018 and 2019. This was partly achieved through much higher proportions of cattle being finished on grain during this period and partly because cattle on grazing farms were supplementary fed to maintain productivity at higher levels than in previous drought periods.
Notably, successful drought management in the most recent period resulted in ongoing productivity improvements through intensification to support animal performance. This maintained a slight improvement in carbon footprint compared to the previous period (based on the recalculated value with updated GWP100).
The reduction in carbon footprint was supported by revisions to the enteric methane calculation method for feedlot cattle, which resulted in lower emissions while cattle were finished on grain. Water use was found to continue to decrease substantially, largely because of continued declines in irrigation water use for pastures used in beef production.
Objectives
This project aimed to determine environmental impacts, including GHG emissions, water, energy and land use across the industry for the five years from 2016 to 2020 to update the ongoing trends analysis. Following the previous study by the authors, the study allows industry to trace the ongoing changes and improvements in environmental performance of the industry, demonstrating the proactive progress achieved by the industry in this time.
Key findings
- GHG intensity in the Australian beef herd between the years FY16 to FY20 = 13.1 kg CO2-e per kg LW-1
- Water use in the Australian beef herd between the years FY16 to FY20 = 400 L per kg LW-1
Benefits to industry
This report enables industry communication and progress tracking of key environmental impact parameters for Australian beef production. The study allows the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework to transparently and confidently report on key indicator metrics to our customers and stakeholders.
MLA action
MLA has published the report and used the data to inform future investment in research, development and adoption activities.
Future research
It is recommended that the LCA is updated at a maxium of every 5 years, with every 2 years an ideal timeframe.
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For more information Contact Project Manager: Jacob Betros |
