Sustainable efforts in the cattle sector mapped out
After surveying more than 3,000 Belgian cattle farmers over the past three years, Belbeef, the interprofessional organisation for the Belgian beef sector, has presented the first sustainability monitor. It objectively charts the efforts made by the sector to work more sustainably.
Making the beef sector more sustainable
The beef sector may not have the most sustainable image, Belgian cattle farmers are making increasing efforts to work more sustainably. This is now documented in the results of the sustainability monitor, the survey organised by Belbeef over the past three years among the 3459 Belbeef certified cattle farmers in Belgium to map out their sustainability initiatives.
Circularity, recycling and own energy
That Belgian cattle farmers are making concrete efforts to reduce their impact on the planet is apparent from the main conclusions of the monitor:
- 70% of cattle farmers fix CO2 in the soil and thus offset their emissions
- Almost 1 farmer in 4 generates his own sustainable energy with solar panels or a windmill
- More than half (53.8%) are reducing their dependence on groundwater by using alternative water sources such as rainwater, surface water and purification water
- Almost half of the farmers are working on circularity by (re)using by-products from the food industry (beer draff, beet pulp, vegetable residues) as animal feed
- 58.9% help to preserve the Belgian valley landscapes and grasslands
- 67.7% preserve swallow nests and the bat and owl population
To be continued...
The sustainability monitor for the period 2019 to 2021 is the first of its kind and will be used as a starting point and improved in the future. Every three years, the results of the survey will be summarised again in order to further map out the sustainability of the cattle sector.
