Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Becomes Nonprofit Organization

The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef has formed an independent, nonprofit organization to advance ongoing improvement across the global beef industry. By adopting a set of statutes and bylaws to inform its mission, the group has formalized its commitment to an environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable global beef supply chain.

Among the founding members of the organization are AllFlex, Allianca de Terra, Cargill, Elanco, Grupo de Trabalho da Pecuaria Sustentavel (GTPS), JBS, McDonald’s, Merck Animal Health, National Wildlife Federation, Rainforest Alliance, Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Australia, Solidaridad, The Nature Conservancy, Walmart and World Wildlife Fund.

The decision to register as an international legal entity “reaffirms our collective support of activities that deliver measureable, science-based outcomes that are focused on high-priority environmental and industry-related issues,” noted Ruaraidh Petre, president of the roundtable. “More efficient, environmentally sustainable approaches to bringing beef from farm to fork will help conserve our planet’s finite resources while also supporting our communities and our members’ bottom lines.”

The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef will now be registered under Article 60 of the Swiss code, enabling it to support local, regional and national members who propose innovations and new technologies, as well as sharing best practices in beef production systems. It will also be a conduit to several million euros the Dutch government has already pledged toward new training and technologies to boost the efficiency and productivity of smallholder and frontier farmers. These funds will go to successful applicants over the next four years.

Consisting of representatives from industry, nonprofit organizations, associations, academia and think tanks, the roundtable strives to find measurable, scientific ways to lower environmental impact and implement solutions within the value chain.

In May, the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef will take part in meetings in Australia with its affiliates at the Australian Beef Conference. Additionally, the roundtable plans to host the second Global Conference on Sustainable Beef later this year so that stakeholders worldwide can review new statues and bylaws, constructively engage on key issues and decide on future activities.