December 2024 update
The framework is now moving to the operational phase. Processors are ALL required to report under COPP III emissions reporting from 2025, and nearly all of the farms as well. There is already posturing around the collection of data, and not all of that which is being transmitted to growers is accurate. In particular, there is NO agreed platform for industry reporting yet. It makes sense for the industry to agree on a common platform, but some processors are “going their own way”, apparently inclduing to collect a lot of actual data from their growers. The concern with this is that it may affect growing fee reviews in the future. Take a look a tthe frequently asked questions from the Australian Chicken Meat Federation below:
24 11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON DATA COLLECTION FOR THE CHICKEN MEAT SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK
August 2024
In a first for poultry industries worldwide, the meat poultry industry in Australia has developed a Sustainability Plan, along similar lines to that produced by the Australian red meat industries.
It identifies how the industry will move to sustainability in four key areas:
- The Birds – including animal husbandry, animal welfare, antimicrobial stewardship and biosecurity
- The Planet – including climate resilience, carbon accounting, feedstock, sustainable packaging, waste and water management
- The People – including diversity, workforce attraction, training, and job creation
- Economic Performance and Food Security. – including food safety, production and consumption, financial value and research and development
It’s fair to say that the processors are taking on some pretty big change in the move to sustainability. It’s also fair to say that the first drafts put significant impost and cost onto growers and ACGC negotiated hard to ensure that growers’ inputs were both meaningful and less costly. The real change for growers out of this plan will be that every farm in Australia will have to develop thier own written biosecurity plan.
AGRI004 – ACM Sustainability Framework – V4 (complete doc V2)
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