Around the world, the beef industry is the subject of a growing ethical debate. Many people seem to think that producing beef for national distribution is a way of living that doesn’t look beyond today’s meal.

Supposedly in the interest of climate consciousness, some food-focused websites and high-end restaurants have dropped beef altogether, and the number of people who have considered cutting beef from their diet has risen.

Most Canadians don’t realize a kilogram of Canadian beef has about half the global average greenhouse gas footprint, mainly because of Canadian cattle’s different diet, the efficiency of our farm-to-table supply chain, and rising crop yields over recent decades.

People think all beef has a high footprint but it’s important to understand that the numbers vary a lot from country to country and region to region and that ours are comparatively low.

Cattle farmers are more than happy to participate in the discussion surrounding climate change. But we want to make Canadians more aware that our industry: produces a product that’s still very much in demand, has long practiced sound sustainability, and is home to a large and highly engaged workforce that understands its impact goes beyond the bottom line.

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