Initial results from trials on ABP’s Research and Development Farm have indicated the potential for a 13% carbon reduction through the use of improved genetics in beef animals from the dairy herd. The findings were announced to an influential international delegation of sustainability practitioners from the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB), and are part of a multi-year project carried out on the farm by ABP in conjunction with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and Teagasc.
The announcement has been made to coincide with the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, which took place in Ireland this week. ABP hosted a high-powered international delegation to its Research & Development farm. The GRSB is made up of some of the leading figures in the beef industry, and is a platform to bring these stakeholders together to reinforce a common agenda of establishing and maintaining sustainable practices in the beef sector.
Visitors to the ABP farm included delegates from Europe, North America, South America and Africa. NGO’s were represented by delegates from the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef.
Commenting on the findings, Dean Holroyd, ABP’s Technical and Sustainability Director said: “This exciting research has highlighted the significance of better genetics and the overall role it can play in helping to develop a more sustainable dairy beef production model. This project is another important milestone in our carbon reduction journey, where we have made very significant progress and have hit our 2020 carbon reduction target two years ahead of schedule.”
ABP is recognised as an industry leader when it comes to sustainable practices and environmental initiatives. In 2017, ABP became the first company to be awarded quadruple accreditation from the Carbon Trust in recognition of the progress it is making in reducing its environmental impact. The Carbon Trust Standard is the world’s leading independent certification of an organisation’s impact on the environment, verifying action on energy use, CO2 emissions, water use and waste output. It recognises continuous excellence and year on year improvements in the area of environmental performance.
