One of Greenpeace’s examples of recent deforestation in Queensland. Photo: Greenpeace

A GROUP of environmental organisations have started a campaign against the beef industry, calling for a suite of incoming deforestation policies to put protections on some Australian regrowth.

Definitions of forest have been a hot topic in recent times, with Europe set to ban the import of goods linked to deforestation by the end of the year – Australian beef being one of the target commodities.

Next in line is a group of companies signed up to an organisation called the Science Based Targets initiative, which is making them form commitments to end deforestation. Some of Australia’s biggest beef supply chains are involved.

While the industry has been working to create a definition that will separate routine land management from deforestation, a group of environmental organisations have been pitching their own way of legislating deforestation-related targets.

Greenpeace, the Wilderness Society and the Australian Conservation Foundation put out a deforestation “policy guidance”, calling for the protection of regrowth that “sustains a natural ecosystem” – with all regrowth 15 years and older meeting that definition.

The organisations have been directly targeting supply chains, calling on them to go above regulations and eliminate “deforestation” from their products.

Greenpeace put out a “deforestation report card” on a group of companies – including the supermarkets, processors and McDonald’s – giving them an ‘F’ on their deforestation policies. The report card was essentially calling for the companies to commit to ending deforestation and implement traceability back to the farm to police it.

Cattle Australia responded to the Greenpeace report with a statement on its website pasted at the bottom of this article.

Beef Central asked what CA’s response was to the specific push to protect regrowth 15 years and older, to which it said it was still working on its position.

Deforestation definition still coming

CA has been heading up a working group of 50 industry stakeholders to come up with a “land management commitment” – which includes a definition of deforestation in the Australian context.

It released the draft principles of that commitment at Beef 2024, with the full definition and document still to come.

Another player is the World Wildlife Fund, which has been present in the Australian vegetation management debate for decades.

WWF was one of the founding organisations of the SBTi and has labelled Australia a deforestation hotspot. Beef Central was told WWF has been consulting with the CA working group – with neither parties confirming that.

Asked for its policy on regrowth control, a WWF spokesperson said it was liaising with industry and had not formed a position.

“WWF-Australia acknowledges that the definitions of deforestation require clarification to deliver positive outcomes for nature, while ensuring farmers can manage land responsibly,” the spokesperson said.

“To this end, WWF is working with industry, however cannot comment further at this stage.”

Beef Central understands supermarkets, JBS and Teys are all part of the working group – McDonald’s is not.

Where to next for deforestation definitions?

While the European Union’s deforestation regulation is set to come into effect later this year, it is facing some pressure to delay the regulation from Australia and within the EU.

Plenty is still to play out on the company deforestation targets, with the SBTi requiring them to have a plan in place by next year.

Environmental consultant Dr Stephen Wiedemann told a Beef 2024 forum to be alert, but not alarmed of the deforestation policies.

He was saying to not be alarmed because the EU regulations appear to be more targeted towards areas like the Amazon and Sumatra and do not include agricultural land, but to be alert of the push to protect certain areas of regrowth.

CA statement on Greenpeace report

“The Australian cattle industry is immensely proud of the safe and highly nutritious red meat we produce to support communities here at home and contribute to global food security. Our industry is also proud of the focus we have on managing the Australian landscape sustainably and productively, showing the intrinsic link between healthy environments and the prosperity of agricultural business. In short, well-managed and thriving natural resources and livestock production are not adversaries, but rather run hand-in-hand.

“Australia has some of the strictest vegetation management regulations in the world. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization ranks Australia as second in the world for reforestation with an average net gain in forest area between 2010-2020 of 446,000 hectares per year.

“Research by the University of Queensland (UQ) has shown 95pc of Queensland’s koala population is found within beef cattle properties. This work clearly highlights that well managed landscapes contribute to sustainable conservation and, in this specific case, productive agriculture coexists with and supports healthy koala populations. Land management activities are also critical to managing natural disasters, as well as weeds, pests and diseases, to ensure the ecological health of our landscape and positive biodiversity outcomes.

“One of our industry’s most important pieces of work is demonstrating environmental performance, and it was this commitment which first initiated development of the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) in 2017, to communicate our progressive sustainability efforts.

“It was identified through the work of the ABSF that due diligence was required by the agricultural sector to provide clarity on terms and definitions that impact market access and environmental outcomes.  With greenwashing now a global consideration, it is especially important that producers and the broader supply chain can demonstrate their good work and comply with new and emerging market requirements.

“Clarity on definitions is an important first step towards ensuring data is used within the correct context, and this is a priority of our industry. So too is continually growing and reviewing our understanding of how beef production interacts with landscapes and ecosystems, and how best practice agricultural production contributes to positive environmental outcomes.

“This is why we are actively engaging with stakeholders from within and outside of the sector, as we move towards development of a national framework to international reporting requirements. The door is always open to sensible and respectful discussion that will genuinely lead to greater outcomes for the landscapes, animals, biodiversity, food security and communities throughout Australia and across the globe.”