The European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability (ERBS) Unites the Beef Value Chain from Farm to Fork
24th October 2018
Brussels, 25 October 2018 – The launch of the European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability (ERBS) emphasised the need to collaborate and to unite the European beef industry on its sustainability journey. 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.
