CNS Canada –– McDonald’s plans on using sustainable beef by 2016, and intends on sourcing at least part of it from Canadian producers. The fast food giant’s latest step toward sustainability is to define what exactly that means. Defining sustainability is important, according to a beef brand officer, because in some cases it’s something consumers […] Read more
Consumers want sustainable beef, but defining that may be murky
It’s time to reward ranch stewardship, says Alberta Nuffield scholar
Coronation rancher Tim Smith will travel the globe to find ways to bring ecological goods and services into the Canadian mainstream
Reading Time: 3 minutes Paying farmers for stewardship that produces environmental benefits isn’t a new idea, but it’s one that’s been slow to catch on in Canada. Coronation rancher Tim Smith wants to know why — and what can be done to move ecological goods and services into the mainstream of agriculture here. “There are benefits in grassland biodiversity […] Read more
Study aims to show beef is sustainable
Analysis will create a baseline for things like water use and carbon sequestration
Reading Time: 2 minutes Consumers have been asking for it, and now the Canadian beef industry is one step closer to proving its sustainability. “We’re trying to find the impacts — both positive and negative — that come from beef production, from when an animal is born on the ground to when it becomes a kilogram of beef on […] Read more
McDonald’s ‘sustainable beef’ pilot project ramps up
Alberta visit of McDonald's global CEO signals a sea change in the beef industry
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s full speed ahead for McDonald’s “verified sustainable beef” project. The country’s largest buyer of beef is finishing up the first phase of its groundbreaking pilot project in Canada, and earlier this month the head of the global fast-food giant paid a visit to Alberta to get a first-hand look. Recently appointed CEO Steve Easterbrook […] Read more
McDonald’s sustainable beef pilot moves into high gear
Fast-food giant has a long list of ‘indicators’ and is seeking producers ready to prove they’re good stewards
Reading Time: 5 minutes Updated Mar. 16, 2015 for clarification: This story states below (paragraph six) that the indicators for the verified sustainable initiative are scored from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). In fact, McDonald’s Canada is still developing the terms that go with the scoring system. In its presentation at the Alberta Beef Industry Conference, an example was given […] Read more
New BIXS boss wants beef industry to help revamp — and fund — database
Hubert Lau says he hopes industry partners will help ‘build models where everybody wins’
Reading Time: 2 minutes The new operators of BIXS aren’t interested in reinventing the wheel, but want to partner with industry to take the livestock database to the next level. And while funding for the latest revamp of the Beef InfoXchange System is still being worked out, the money likely won’t come out of farmers’ pockets, said Hubert Lau, […] Read more
Crop sector starts its sustainability roundtable
As with beef, producers will be asked to document their practices, but carrying the system past the grain elevator may be tricky
Reading Time: 3 minutes The push for sustainability continues — and this time, it’s hit the Canadian crop sector. “End-users are looking to have a certified or verified supply chain that goes to the farm level,” said Kara Barnes, market development co-ordinator with the Alberta Barley Commission and a best practices specialist with the Barley Council of Canada. “Just […] Read more
Will BIXS be part of the new sustainable beef system?
The Beef InfoXchange System has struggled to attract producers
Reading Time: 2 minutes In order for McDonald’s to sell “verified sustainable beef,” someone will have to do the verifying — but questions remain about whether the favoured candidate is up to the job. “One of the reasons that McDonald’s chose to do the (pilot) project in Canada was because of the foundations like BIXS, the environmental farm plans, […] Read more
Beef sustainability benchmark study to be ready by fall
Reading Time: < 1 minute Initial results of a project to benchmark the sustainability of the Canadian beef industry will be presented this fall at its annual general meeting, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef has announced. The group, set up last fall, now has a website and is encouraging those in the beef value chain — from producers and processors […] Read more
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