PUBLISHED BY MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS
DECEMBER 2021
Winter arrived in Manitoba in a big way with a mid-November storm system depositing copious amounts of badly needed moisture across the southern half of the province. (Photo credit: Andre Steppler)
Canadian beef producers had a strong voice at COP26 Farmers and ranchers are among the first people to see and feel the effects of climate change, but they are also in a good position to help reverse some of those effects as well. A recently published study by Nature United showed that natural climate solutions could reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 78 mega tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030. Who are the people that offer many of those natural climate solutions? Farmers and ranchers, says Fawn Jackson, Canadian Cattleman’s Association (CCA) Director of Policy and International Affairs, speaking at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, (COP26), held in Glasgow, Scotland from 31 October to 13 November. “Our goal is to make sure that the farmer and rancher perspective is understood and taken into serious consideration for any of the commitments that are going to be made for climate change, and for recognition that farming, ranching and agriculture in general has a huge opportunity to contribute to the solutions and the fight against climate change,” Jackson said. As part of a panel that included the CCA, the National Farmers Union, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Pan American Farmers Association, Jackson emphasized the role that the Canadian beef industry is already playing to address climate change and its goals going forward. They include building a community that will ensure the needed solutions can be effectively implemented. “Agriculture is a complex system, and if we only bring one perspective, we are not going to get the solutions for climate change right,” Jackson said. “We need to not only have farmers at the table, but also conservation organisa-
tions, the full supply chain and governments.” The Canadian beef industry is already well ahead when it comes to multi-stakeholder partnerships, such as the Canadian Roundtable on Sustainable Beef, which has developed a number of industry goals related to climate change. They include reducing the GHG footprint of beef production by 33 per cent, protecting 35 million acres of endangered native grasslands, and reducing food waste by 50 per cent by 2030. Canada a global leader in sustainable beef production The Canadian beef industry continues to be a global leader in sustainable beef production. Beef farmers and ranchers manage lands that store 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon, and has half the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint per kilogram of production compared to the global average. So. although the Canadian beef industry already has one of the lowest GHG footprints in the world, there needs to continued, long term investment in research and technology transfer, Jackson said. “It is not our goal to be the best in the world, but to get everybody to a position where they are able to reduce their GHG footprint,” she said. “We need to make sure that there is not only investment in Canada, but strategic, long-term, significant investment globally in agriculture, which has been significantly under-funded for far too long.” The industry also needs market-based solutions such as carbon or ecosystem services markets, that enable farmers and ranchers to implement natural climate solutions in an economically viable way. “We know we need farmers, so how can we make sure that they can economically survive as we ask them to do more and more,” Jackson says. “One of the things that is very exciting for us in the beef world is how feed additives are able to reduce GHG emissions anywhere from 30 to 90 per cent, but how do we make sure that that doesn’t push
the farmers into the red by asking them to do that? With carbon markets we also need to make sure that it doesn’t just push production into other parts of the world, but that we can support both our local and our global farmers.” Important to be a part of the conversation Jackson, who also participated in a question-andanswer session at COP26, said a few things surprised her, including the extent of people’s knowledge about some of the current issues in agriculture. “Some of the questions spoke to things that are connected to climate change, but are on the periphery of that conversation,” she said. “For example, one of the questions was about young producers, and how with the rising cost of land, are we going to make sure that there are farmers for the future. There was also a question about the scale of farms and concern about small farms not being able to survive in these times. So, yes people are certainly worried about climate change, and recognizing that agriculture can be a solution, but they’re also worried about other things in agriculture too.” Jackson said she was also pleased to see the agricultural community increasing its voice at the summit and being recognized in its role as a solution provider. “When you talk to some of the experts, particularly within the Canadian or the North American context, it is very well understood the importance of beef farmers and ranchers, not only in the protection of native grasslands, but also in the circular economy,” Jackson said. “So, recognizing that cattle are often eating hulls, or fruits and vegetables that aren’t suitable for grocery stores or are eating barley that was headed for malt barley but didn’t make it on the quality side of things, or that they are grazing after a crop has been harvested. That is a growing area of understanding of the that importance of agriculture.” Page 2
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BY ANGELA LOVELL