One last chance to comment on sustainable beef ‘indicators’

The indicators are ways to measure 
objects such as ecosystem health and animal welfare

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Published: March 20, 2017

,

The quest to find concrete ways to measure the sustainability of Canadian beef production began in 2015.

The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is seeking feedback on its revised “sustainability indicators” for beef production in Canada.

The indicators are ways to measure sustainability objectives — such as ecosystem health and animal health and welfare.

For example, one of the objectives is to maintain or enhance grasslands, pastures, and native ecosystems. Some of the indirect measures for that objective are having a grazing plan, have appropriate forage species, and availability of blooming plants for pollinators. The direct measure of that objective is a rangeland health assessment score.

Read Also

Alberta Beef Producers refunds almost half the check-off dollars collected from producers.

Alberta Beef Producers announces withdrawal from Canadian Cattle Association

Alberta Beef Producers announced its withdrawal from the Canadian Cattle Association, effective July 1, 2026.

An initial draft of the indicators was opened to public comment last year and they have been updated based on that feedback.

“In the second draft, we have added more detail on indicator objectives, measures and interpretation for a robust set of sustainability measures,” roundtable chair Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, who ranches at Jumping Pound, said in a release. “We believe that these enhancements provide a well-rounded system that will support continuous improvement and sustainability of the Canadian beef industry.”

The indicators can be found at crsb.ca/public-consultation-english. Comments can be submitted until April 1.

About the author

Alberta Farmer Staff

Staff

explore

Stories from our other publications