WASHINGTON – Global leaders from the beef industry and the World Wildlife Fund (W.W.F.) announced they intend to bring together industry stakeholders to move global beef production to a more sustainable system during proceedings at The Global Conference on Sustainable Beef, Nov. 1-3 in Denver, Colo.
"On a finite planet, sustainability is as important to long-term business success as it is for conservation and protecting wildlife," said Jason Clay, senior vice president of markets at W.W.F. "By carrying out a dialogue with broad representation of all stakeholders in the global beef system, we can make great strides in expanding best practices and developing strong global standards for sustainable beef production."
The conference intends to serve as a unique forum to review current sustainability practices and begin to build alignment around key impacts, both positive and negative, of the beef system. Cargill, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, JBS S.A., McDonald’s and W.W.F. will convene stakeholders and work to establish a process that may result in developing global voluntary, market-based standards for the beef industry.
The conference program will include panel discussions, plenary sessions and breakout meetings. and is structured around three pillars:
- Science and research — Participants will present research and identify top sustainability production challenges and opportunities.
- Better management practices — Attendees will share experiences, practices and operations, addressing hurdles and solutions along the way.
- Dialogue — Participants will work to increase alignment around the key impacts of the beef system and identify approaches that promote sustainable beef practices worldwide.
After the conference, possible next steps include expanding local multi-stakeholder programs that are economically viable, environmentally sustainable and socially responsible as well as the creation of Regional Sustainable Beef Roundtables to guide the development of standards for sustainable beef production.
For more information, visit www.SustainableLivestock.com.
