T E C H N I C A L
Beef Shorthorn: the suckler with sustainability in her nature Across the UK and Europe, farmers are coming under increasing pressure to minimise the environmental impacts of production, says Ashley Hassin of Birnie Consultancy.
“P
resently, the main focus is on the reduction of carbon emissions, but in reality, sustainable production requires attention to areas such as air quality, run-off, water pollution, biodiversity and habitat creation (among others). This pressure is emerging from both commercial sources and government,” he explains. “Government has committed to longterm environmental targets and future farm support will be focused on the delivery of environmental goods. “Major retailers are experiencing pressure from shareholders and customers to reduce the impact of their activities, including farming, processing, packaging and transport of the product. Under many analyses, farming activities account for up to 70% of total impact and, as a result, improvements at farm level are highly sought after,” says Mr Hassin.
36
It is conceivable that, in the near future, access to key markets will require the demonstration of good environmental performance, with those falling short facing an economic penalty, he adds.
“It is really important to note, however, that truly sustainable production must include economic and social sustainability in addition to the environmental.
B eef Shorthorn C attl e S oc i ety J o ur n al 2 0 2 3
“With a growing world population, there is a moral obligation for UK farmers to continue to produce food, but there is also a moral obligation to reduce the impact of that production. “On this basis, many farmers are examining their on-farm practices to understand how they can best meet this emerging demand, while reducing their environmental footprint and increasing biodiversity. Although there are significant challenges around achieving this, there are many practices which can be implemented which carry both economic and environmental benefits and it is on these that activity should initially be focused. “Among the mitigation options to be explored is the use of a breed that makes the most efficient use of the available land without becoming over-reliant on expensive bought-in feeds. The Beef Shorthorn fits the bill perfectly,” believes Mr Hassin.
