Coles: It 'doesn't really matter' if MLA's 2030 carbon target is achieved

Coles Livestock innovation and sustainability manager Maria Crawford said the benefit of the target itself had been that it created "conversation" and got the industry "thinking".

"Whether we actually get there or not by 2030 doesn't really matter," she said.

"It's the fact that it's put Australia above and ahead of what the rest of the global red meat industry is actually doing."

Ms Crawford made her points during a panel discussion on reducing Cole's Scope 3 emissions at the Future Ag Expo in Melbourne recently.

She was joined by Coles sustainability general manager Brooke Donnelly and farmers Andrew and Jane Mercer, Springwood Cattle Farm, Hamilton.

Scope 3 emissions are the emissions made by Coles producers, at the start of the supply chain - the carbon footprint of the farmers producing the beef.

Ms Crawford highlighted that the MLA 2030 carbon neutral target put everyone in the beef sector on the same page.

"Whatever you think about the [MLA carbon neutral] 2030 commitment, what it has done is really promote the Australian red meat industry's ambition towards reducing emissions and finding ways to tackle the problem," she said.

"It's allowed us to really think about what those emission reductions are, to start that research and development in this space."

Ms Donnelly said the MLA target had improved awareness of the beef industry's methane issues at an industry level.

"It helps to kind of open up the conversation which is really the first thing," she said.

"Also it does create that acknowledgement, recognition and confidence, that in export markets, and with consumers, that the Australian livestock industry is actually proactive and looking to address emissions, taking action."

Ms Crawford said there was a lot of "excessive noise" when it came to beef farming's carbon footprint.

"It's just knowing what to believe and what not to believe, what's actually achievable and what's not achievable," she said.

The Mercers had been working with Coles to reduce their farm's emissions and detailed their efforts in data collection, turning off cattle earlier and improving genetic and feeding efficiencies.

Ms Crawford, who had liaised with the Mercers on this work, said it was all about data collection and "working with calculators".

"The small 1 per cent [emissions reduction] is getting that data collection right, thinking about herd efficiency and some of the other aspects of the business that they can hone in on that don't impact their productivity but really can assist them moving forward," she said.

Mr Mercer put it simply as about "being a better farmer".

He said if beef farmers didn't face the challenge of emissions reduction, it would be "so limiting" in terms of markets.

Ms Crawford said beef farm emission reduction wasn't going to have a "linear trajectory"

"There are going to be changes because we are working with the seasons, biology," she said.

"It's something that's going to take time"

Ms Crawford said Coles was working to sell a "positive message" around red meat production to its customers.

With this in mind, she said Coles would "absolutely not" reduce the beef it sells.

"We are not reducing the amount of beef that we sell in our supermarkets," she said.

"I think the important thing is to really sell the message to our customers that our producers are working above and beyond what they need to do to make sure that they are providing as sustainable a product as they can.

"I don't think that just because beef has got the bad rap that a lot of society thinks it has, that we'll ever go down that path.

"We have a huge amount of customers that love beef and we'll continue to be selling as much beef as we possibly can at Coles."

In a follow up statement to Stock & Land, a Coles spokesperson said its beef suppliers were leading the way for its journey to reduce Scope 3 emissions.

"We are actively engaging with a number of our beef suppliers through supplier engagement workshops, and are partnering with IntegrityAG and Environment to calculate producer carbon footprints, collect and analyse data, and benchmark progress," the spokesperson said.

"Our beef suppliers are exploring ways to reduce their on-farm emissions intensity through initiatives such as improving herd efficiency by turning off cattle at a younger age, improving herd fertility, investing in genetic improvement, and improving nutrition and feeding programs as well as optimising grazing management strategies, and planting native trees to increase biodiversity on properties."

However, the spokesperson also noted that setting an emissions target was not a requirement for beef suppliers to sell to Coles.