A wide-ranging energy assessment of Australia Country Choice’s Brisbane beef processing facility has identified a series of simple ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 77 percent.

A $19.8 million investment in energy and carbon-management opportunities could see a payback period of less than five years, according to the assessment.

A package of sustainability initiatives revealed a $4.05 million cut in annual power costs and lower manufacturing costs equal to a value of $16.35/head.

ACC processes around 6000 head each week at its facility in Brisbane’s inner southeast, many of them heavy Wagyu and Wagyu crosses, including its own brand-program cattle, plus service kill for supermarkets, the Australian Agricultural Co and others.

Joel Bentley ACC

The family-run beef and cattle business commissioned the energy road map from energy services company, NRG-One to help navigate a path to a lower-carbon future.

Meat processing is a typically energy-intensive industry and ACC’s Cannon Hill site, with a 350,000-head annual capacity, is working to reduce its emissions profile.

It has already curbed reticulated water use at the site by 10pc. Meanwhile, substituting diesel with solar-powered pumps at some of its 42 rural properties has seen the equivalent of removing 316 cars from roads.

ACC’s group manager for sustainability and analytics, Joel Bentley, said the company’s key to lower-emission operations was the Cannon Hill site, which employs up to 1200 people and provides meat for multiple export and domestic customers.

ACC has already made a 10pc cut in water use by recycling in areas like this cattle washdown bay

“We have to meet those needs against a backdrop of investment cost and effective GHG-mitigation – it’s a complicated balancing act, with lots of moving parts,” he said.

“That’s why we needed this energy road map.”

ACC will now undertake feasibility studies into energy efficiency projects incorporating refrigeration, thermal, lighting and hot water supply. Integrated renewable systems such as solar power, biogas and boiler conversion projects are also in the pipeline.

Source: ACC