Multivariable Analysis of the Carbon Footprint of a Branded Beef Supply Chain Using Individual Animal Data and Carcass Characteristics

Globally, beef customers are seeking verified information regarding the carbon footprint (CF) of the products they buy. As a major supplier of premium grass-finished and natural grain beef supplying markets world-wide, JBS Southern Australia developed a certified Farm Assured (FA) program, launched in 2013, to provide quality beef from independently audited suppliers. This study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) with ‘cradle to farm gate’ and ‘cradle to processor gate’ boundaries, using two reference flows—(i) one kilogram (kg) of liveweight (LW) at the farm gate, and (ii) one kg of boxed beef at the processor gate—to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) CF for beef produced in southern Australia. This study is the first to integrate individual animal carcass characteristics with brand level CF analysis at scale. This was achieved by developing a uniquely comprehensive dataset, with primary data supplied by 200 farms and individual animal data provided for 514,922 heads of cattle. The mean farm gate CF was 11.7 (standard deviation 0.4) kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) kg−1 LW, and the mean boxed beef CF was 24.1 kg CO2-e kg−1 boxed beef. The study’s novel approach to data collection allowed for the CF to be stratified by region, carcass characteristics, farm of origin and product brand. Analysis revealed that the lowest farm-average and individual animal CFs were 29% and 48% lower than the supply chain average, respectively. These findings indicate that the CFs of beef produced from grass and natural grain-finished production systems in southern Australia were comparable or lower than the CFs of beef entering similar markets.