Low Carbon Beef receives approval as USDA process verified program service provider
It's the first of its kind for verification for beef raised with reduced greenhouse gas emissions
13 December 2021
2 minute read
Low Carbon Beef, a cattle certification program that enables beef farmers and ranchers to earn premiums by reducing carbon emissions of their cattle operation, has secured approval as a USDA Process Verified Program (PVP) Service Provider from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).
The approval marks the first USDA PVP for calculating the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions for beef production. The PVP will enable beef providers to differentiate and market beef that is raised with reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
The Low Carbon Beef certification is designed to provide a quantifiable measure for cattle raised with a reduced carbon footprint. The process verifies that cattle have been raised with reduced greenhouse gas emissions using a comprehensive lifecycle assessment that quantifies the impact of sustainable herd management practices and cattle performance throughout the life of the animals.
"We have met many farmers and ranchers who are eager to show how their practices are producing more sustainable beef. This program allows these animal caretakers and environmental stewards to document and validate their efforts," said Colin Beal, founder of Low Carbon Beef LLC.
Low Carbon Beef is actively enrolling cattle for certification and exploring related research pilots with supply chain partners. The cattle certification program offers customised economic and environmental assessments to enable specific cattle operations to understand how many GHG emissions they generate and economic considerations for reducing those emissions.
