A Review of Sustainability Enhancements in the Beef Value Chain: State-of-the-Art and Recommendations for Future Improvements.
The beef sector is working towards continually improving its sustainability in order to achieve environmentally, socially and economically desirable outcomes, all of which are of increasing concern to consumers. In this context, the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) provides guidance to advance the sustainability of the beef industry, through increased stakeholder engagement and the formation of national roundtables. Recently, the 2nd Global Conference on Sustainable Beef took place in Banff, Alberta, Canada, hosted by the GRSB and the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Conference attendees discussed the various initiatives that are being developed to address aspects of beef sustainability. This paper reviews the main discussions that occurred during this event, along with the key lessons learned, messages, and strategies that were proposed to improve the sustainability of the global beef industry.
Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada. danielle.souza@ualberta.ca.|Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada. danielle.souza@ualberta.ca.
Danielle
D
Maia de Souza
Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Dorpsstraat 45, Geesteren 7678 AV, Overijssel, The Netherlands. ruaraidh@petre.nl.
Ruaraidh
R
Petre
Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, 180-6315 8th Street NE, Calgary, AB T2E 7H7, Canada. jacksonf@cattle.ca.
Fawn
F
Jackson
Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, 180-6315 8th Street NE, Calgary, AB T2E 7H7, Canada. hadaritsm@cattle.ca.
Monica
M
Hadarits
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada. sarah.pogue@uleth.ca.|Department of Geography, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada. sarah.pogue@uleth.ca.
Sarah
S
Pogue
Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada. cameron.carlyle@ualberta.ca.
Cameron N
CN
Carlyle
Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada. ebork@ualberta.ca.
Edward
E
Bork
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada. tim.mcallister@agr.gc.ca.
Tim
T
McAllister
beef industry; continuous improvement; life cycle assessment; sustainability; sustainable beef