JBS Farm Assurance Sets Grass-Fed Beef Emissions Baseline

The first baseline covers 176 farms and places their emissions 12% below the national average for beef production.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Organic Food

Bold vector editorial illustration of a steel water trough in golden grassland beside a timber fence line, evoking Australian pastoral beef production. — JBS Farm Assurance has set Australia's first grass-fed beef emissions baseline, placing 176 farms 12% below the national average. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

JBS Farm Assurance has completed what it describes as Australia's largest grass-fed beef carbon emissions baseline assessment, sampling 176 carbon footprints from farms using regenerative agricultural practices. The assessment set a baseline of 11.6kg CO2e per kilogram of live weight, 12% below the national Australian average of 13.1kg CO2e per kilogram of live weight.

Why it matters

The baseline gives the beef value chain a measured reference point for emissions, which supports transparency for buyers and producers seeking sustainable sourcing. Learnings from the Southern division's program are expected to be shared across JBS Australia and the wider red meat industry.

The assessment sampled cattle from the Hunter Valley, South-East South Australia, Gippsland, King Island and mainland Tasmania, using methods aligned with the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework, ISO 14067 (2018) and UN FAO LEAP guidelines. The source does not report how the baseline will be updated or verified beyond the initial assessment.

The players

JBS Farm Assurance

JBS Farm Assurance is a livestock supply-chain assurance program run by the JBS group that certifies on-farm practices through third-party audits.

IntegrityAg

IntegrityAg is an Australian agricultural sustainability consultancy that measures and verifies farm emissions data.

Bureau Veritas (BVAQ)

Bureau Veritas is a global testing, inspection and certification company that conducts audits for industry standards.

The details

IntegrityAg measured and verified major emission contributors, including fuel, water, electricity, transport and production figures, in partnership with the Australian Meat Processor Corporation. JBS Farm Assurance has used third-party audited on-farm practices since 2013, with on-farm audits carried out by Bureau Veritas (BVAQ), and entry into the program is by invitation only.

2013: JBS Farm Assurance begins third-party audited on-farm practices.
2020: Planning for the carbon baseline project begins.
3 November 2026: Announcement of the completed carbon baseline assessment.

Culture Shift

The assessment is built to comply with the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework, extending that framework's measurement approach to a sample of regenerative grass-fed farms. It reflects a wider move among beef producers to quantify emissions at the farm level rather than rely on general industry estimates.

Shoppers who prioritise lower-emission beef will not yet see labelled baselines on products, since the source does not describe any consumer-facing labelling. The baseline may influence which producers and supply chains buyers choose as the program's data becomes more widely available.

The takeaway

Lower-emission beef is measurable at farm level, and a verified baseline gives producers and buyers a common reference point. Watching how the data is shared across the red meat industry will show whether these measurements translate into practical sourcing choices.