Cattle remain key to sustainable food systems

The conversation about sustainable beef production has become a hot and polarising topic of late. Why has it not been possible to get to a globally understood definition and target?

There are three main domains covered by sustainability: economics, the environment, and social issues. This means that sustainability falls under a wide umbrella. It involves everything from rural livelihoods and the economic viability of farmers, to carbon and water footprints, which garner most of the attention, to social issues. The latter entails everything from nutritional quality to cultural values and animal welfare. In all, this is quite a complex topic, and we can’t always get agreement because we’re trying to balance everything at once.

It’s also not a purely objective topic, even though it is driven by science. People value different things differently. One person may prioritise animal welfare above environmental footprints, while another may prioritise the