Sainsbury's

Sep 19, 2023

Published: 12:02 19 Sep 2023 J Sainsbury PLC (LSE:SBRY)  has begun slaughtering cattle for beef products 20% earlier in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The FTSE 100-listed grocer said its "lower carbon premium beef" range will have a 25% lower carbon footprint compared to those from rival grocery chains and will be "the largest low carbon beef range ever produced in the UK". It said the earlier slaughter was a result of combining its British dairy and beef supply chains and "superior cattle breeding and animal management", with Aberdeen Angus cattle bred more strictly monitored feed and living conditions. This means that calves are "raised in the most efficient way possible, needing less time and energy to grow, in turn emitting fewer harmful gases". Beef production has emerged as an area of concern in the food chain, as cows are among the largest ruminant animals, leading to emissions of potent greenhouse gas methane from their digestion of grasses and plants (via gaseos emissions and manure), and with rising beef production globally leading to increased demand for land and for forecast clearance. The Sainsbury's process will offer more "security and stability" for farmers, said the company's agriculture and horticulture chief Gavin Hodgson, as the supermarket will buy the beef at fixed forward prices, while also providing farms with technology for free to generate the data to help their decision-making. "More customers than ever want high quality beef with a lower carbon footprint and that’s why we’ve invested many years of research and development into transforming how we produce it," he said. The company, which worked with Irish food processing group ABP Food Group , told the Telegraph that the changes would allow it to slaughter cattle 20% earlier than the average across of farming industry of between 20 and 24 months, meaning cattle could be sent to the slaughterhouse after 16 months. Another driver of the move is that Sainsbury’s has set out plans to be a net zero company across its own operations by 2035 and across its supply chain by 2050 However, the company's efforts have not always hit the mark with consumers, with its plans to reduce plastic usage via new vacuum-packed packaging  criticised by shoppers. Although the company recently said it would pay £6 million more to its dairy suppliers, the farming industry questioned supermarkets' denials earlier this year over whether they are engaged in "profiteering" and "greedflation".