25 October 2018

3 minute read

 Jane Duncan, Director of Operations for SAI Platform, the organisation leading the ERBS, remarked - “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together. We know that we cannot tackle everything at once. We recognise the diversity of production systems across Europe and therefore the need to build on existing local initiatives and provide the flexibility to work together in a locally-relevant way”.

The ERBS official launch took place during the “Global Conference on Sustainable Beef” (GCSB), hosted bi-annually by the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) on 9-12 October in Kilkenny, Ireland. Over 230 members representing the global and national beef sustainability roundtables had gathered for this major beef sector event. Representing a multi-stakeholder voice across the beef value chain, the ERBS was warmly welcomed as an important initiative towards beef sustainability.

Giving the perspective of processors and producers, Head of Project Management Operations at Kepak Meat Division, Aoife Ryan stated - “With processing facilities in Ireland and the UK exporting to over 43 countries globally, Kepak has long recognised the importance of sustainability. Collaboration is a key foundation of our sustainability plan because we see it as key to amplifying progress both up and down the value chain. We are proud to be a member of the ERBS which links us to other like-minded organisations across Europe to face our shared sustainability challenges together.”

The collaborative focus and the shared ambition towards improving beef sustainability across the value chain are vital aspects to ERBS members. Speaking on behalf of ABP Food Group, Livestock Strategy Manager Annie Graham commented - “As a company that has a proven track record in delivering innovative sustainable solutions across the beef supply chain, we welcome the formation of the new European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability. We look forward to working collaboratively with all stakeholders on our shared goal of the continuous improvement of sustainability.”

The ERBS is representative of the full value chain, including the most important actors in beef production, those being the farmers. The ERBS ensures that their approach has a positive impact on the farmers’ ability to make their farms economically viable.

About the ERBS

The European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability (ERBS) is a multi-stakeholder platform focussed on beef sustainability across the European region and across all aspects of the value chain, from farm to fork. It also represents the European beef value chain as one voice on the global stage, through its active participation in the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB). The ERBS believes the beef sector has an important role to play in a sustainable food system. The beef sector transforms inedible feedstuffs into high value protein for human consumption. It is a major land steward across the European region, able to provide key ecosystem benefits such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity maintenance.

About SAI Platform

Founded in 2002, the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform) brings together over 100 member and partner farms, companies and organisations leading the way in pioneering sustainable agriculture world-wide. We enable our members to share knowledge, create solutions to common challenges and promote sustainable agriculture globally in a pre-competitive environment. By developing the practice of sustainable agricultural tools and principles we are creating secure and strong agricultural supply chains, to protect the earth’s resources. Our current focus is on beef, dairy and crops. Our innovative Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) tool and collaboration tool Spotlight, lead the field to effective sustainable practices while delivering value to our members, farmers, their communities and consumers.

To find out more about SAI Platform, visit our website: www.saiplatform.org