Minerva Foods and Imaflora announce partnership in program to measure carbon balance of South American farms

Minerva Foods, the leading beef exporter in South America and one of the largest companies in the region in the production and commercialization of beef and its derivatives, together with the Institute of Forest and Agricultural Management and Certification (Imaflora), a Brazilian non-governmental organization, which works to promote social and environmental transformations in the forestry and agricultural sectors, announce their partnership in Imaflora's new program Carbon On Track, for measuring the carbon balance of farms in South America.
 

Maintaining its pioneering spirit, Minerva Foods is the first partner from the livestock sector to engage with Carbon On Track. Minerva Foods selected 25 supply farms in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay and Uruguay to participate in a pilot project totaling more than 232,000 head of cattle and 185,000 hectares of pasture, and encompassing five different biomes: Amazon, Pantanal, Cerrado, Pampas and Chaco.

Preliminary results revealed that the participating farms are emitting 44% less greenhouse gases (GHG) compared to the world average for emissions in beef production, estimated at 19.9 tCO2e per ton of beef produced (based on comparisons of 30 different scientific articles). Initial reports of the study were released on November 6th at the Climate Change Conference (COP 26), held by the United Nations (UN), in Glasgow, Scotland.
 

Carbon On Track is the first carbon balance project that will collect primary data, which can then be accessed through a digital communication platform, facilitating access to information and ensuring transparency of the entire analysis. The balance calculations were performed using globally recognized methodologies and guidelines proposed by the IPCC 2019 and are consistent with the GHG Protocol methodology. The goal is to demonstrate that the application of good agricultural practices can effectively reduce the amount of GHG emissions being released into the atmosphere.
 

Reports will be made available on the digital platform, organized by sector dashboards that will feature the data collected, strengthening initiatives that are being undertaken in the sector. Personalized control panels will be developed for partner companies, which will store the results of the balance sheets, as well as information regarding the monitoring of suppliers, environmental performance history, forest restoration projects and initiatives to encourage low carbon livestock farming.
 

"Carbon on Track fits perfectly with Minerva Foods' efforts to take measures that will lead the chain to more sustainable, low-carbon livestock farming. The program will measure, monitor and communicate advances being made by the Company. This work is essential to increasing the confidence, credibility and consolidation of the initiatives carried out in our segment. We are excited with the results and foresee significant advances in the near future. Furthermore, we are proud to once again be the pioneers in implementing these initiatives geared towards low carbon livestock farming," emphasizes Taciano Custódio, Director of Sustainability at Minerva Foods.
 

"Livestock production plays a fundamental role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane, which contribute to global warming. There are several ways to encourage more sustainable livestock farming, such as intensification, crop and forest integration, better soil management and the use of natural fertilizers", states Isabel Garcia-Drigo, Imaflora's Climate and Agricultural Production Chains Manager. "Especially after the release of the latest IPCC report, we can no longer put off adopting and investing in solutions and technologies, many of which already exist, in order to transform the sector and consequently reduce emissions."

Looking to the future, Carbon On Track may also enable the certification of projects that are aimed at generating carbon credits. "Presenting the environmental, social and economic benefits of implementing good practices in a clear and understandable way makes the concept of sustainable livestock farming even more tangible and encourages efforts aimed at reducing emissions by companies and ranchers," reinforces Taciano.
 

Get to know some of the Cases

The figure shows the 25 farms that participated in the study. When the farms' emissions are calculated, they all rank below the world average for emissions in meat production, by between 11% and 69%. When evaluating the carbon balance of each farm's production system, which includes both the emissions and the removals that occur on the property, three farms are carbon negative, identified in the graph below with green leaves. In short, these farms sequester more than they emit, like the example of Santa Elena Farm, in Colombia.

Santa Elena Farm (COL) - carbon negative: located in Montería, in the region of Córdoba, Colombia, with more than 2,500 head of cattle and an area of 1,795 hectares. The property emits 45% below the world average as the result of strategies aimed at improving pastures through rotation and with strategic soil supplementation, generating grazing efficiency. In addition, native tree species are conserved to help promote balance on the farm.
 

Excellence in cattle ranching, geared toward the production of sustainable beef, is what the owners strive for. The farm holds certifications which attest to the use of good practices such as the preservation of native forests, pasture improvement, and care in the use of natural resources. Currently, it is in the process of being certified with the environmental seal for cattle production, sponsored by Fedegán and Minerva Foods.

• - Total Carbon Balance: -533.3 tons CO2e
• - Emission Intensity: 10.99 tons. CO2e / ton of beef produce
• - 45% below the global average

Fazenda Corumbiara (BRA) – low carbon: located in Rondônia, with over 20 thousand head of cattle and 16.8 thousand hectares of land. The property demonstrated emissions 42% below the world average, thanks in part to the intensification of the production cycle and to its having about 30% of the open area destined to agriculture, which produces raw materials for the feedlot, generating a better quality for the meat.

Post-harvest, the farmland is opened for crop-livestock integration which, in conjunction with the feedlot supplied with grains produced on the farm, results in cost efficiency, sustainability, and lower carbon emissions, given that the animals are born on the farm and complete their cycle on the same property, also ensuring the complete traceability of the herd.
 

- Total Carbon Balance: 33,609.2 tons CO2e

- Emission Intensity: 11.53 tons. CO2e / ton of beef produced

- 42% below the global average

Fazenda La Lunera (URU) – low carbon: located in Paraje Sarndi del Cosnejo Castillos, Uruguay, with more than 836 head of cattle and 654 hectares of land. The property accounted for emissions 45% below the world average. The owners have been constantly working on improving the genetics of the cattle, looking for alternatives that are adaptable to their cattle production system.

Other initiatives include pasture rotations, aimed at introducing grasses and legumes as a means of boosting soil productivity. Thus, there is a focus on having cattle that are healthier and better adapted to this type of pasture. In less productive areas of the farm, trees are being planted.
 

- Total Carbon Balance: 496.6 tons CO2e

- Emission Intensity: 10.97 tons. CO2e / ton of beef produced

- 45% below the global average

All information on the preliminary results and indicators of the Carbon On Track program are available by clicking here.