Today’s launch of the Beef and Lamb Environmental Roadmap reminds us that, if we’re all trying to get to the same destination, it makes sense to follow a common route.

The roadmap gives everyone that common route, and is an important step towards a more consistent approach to environmental reporting across the supply chain.

Developed by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) with support from organisations across the beef and lamb sector, the roadmap sets out a practical plan to help reduce emissions while supporting productive, resilient and commercially viable businesses.

BMPA played an active role in developing the roadmap and believes its greatest strength is providing everyone in the supply chain with a shared framework for measuring and reporting environmental progress.

Processors sit between farmers, retailers, foodservice businesses and consumers, each with their own sustainability requirements. Too often those requirements differ, meaning businesses are asked to provide similar information in different ways. The roadmap offers an opportunity to simplify that process by encouraging a more consistent approach across the supply chain.

Lucas Daglish, Sustainability Manager at BMPA, said:

“For processors, one of the biggest benefits of this roadmap is that it gives the whole supply chain something to work from together. Farmers, processors, retailers and foodservice businesses all want to show they’re making progress, but that becomes much harder when everyone is measuring different things or asking for information in different formats.

“A shared framework can reduce unnecessary duplication, improve confidence in the data we’re using and help everyone understand progress in the same way. That means less time spent meeting different reporting requirements and more time focused on making real improvements.

“This isn’t a finished product, and it isn’t meant to be. It’s a framework that will continue to develop, and it’s important that processors stay involved so it remains practical, evidence-based and works for the whole supply chain.”

BMPA believes the roadmap can also help build greater trust across the industry by giving producers, processors, retailers, policymakers and consumers a common way to understand environmental progress, based on shared evidence rather than different reporting standards.

The Association is encouraging meat processors to engage with the roadmap as it develops, helping to refine the voluntary framework and ensure it continues to support a more efficient, consistent and resilient beef and lamb supply chain.

Read the full Beef and Lamb Environmental Roadmap here.