Recently, a seminar on the development of traceability in the beef supply chain was held in Beijing. The event was jointly organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Beijing Representative Office (WWF Beijing Representative Office) and the China Meat Association (CMA). The seminar brought together industry experts, scholars, representatives from meat companies, financial institutions, and social organizations. The participants engaged in discussions aimed at charting a course for promoting a globally eco-friendly beef supply chain through traceability. By exchanging domestic and international experiences and sharing corporate cases, the seminar aimed to establish an information exchange and mutually beneficial cooperation platform between Chinese enterprises and beef-producing countries. The overarching goal is to expedite the formation of a consensus among various stakeholders in the supply chain. This consensus is intended to promote food safety, environmental protection, and achieve the green transformation of the entire supply chain through the establishment of a multinational traceability system. Dr. Shi Lin, Senior Researcher at the International Institute of Green Finance, Central University of Finance and Economics, was invited to attend and actively participate in the forum discussions.
Participants emphasized the crucial role of transparency in the beef supply chain, affirming the collaboration between the China Meat Association (CMA) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to strengthen traceability and transparency within the meat industry. This joint effort is dedicated to ensuring the safety and ecological friendliness of beef product supply chains. Furthermore, participants underscored the ongoing efforts to promote sustainable agricultural partnerships in China, highlighting new initiatives in the development of zero-carbon beef and sustainable practices in the livestock industry.
In the ‘Domestic Experience Sharing’ session, Dr. Shi Lin, a Senior Researcher at the International Institute of Green Finance, Central University of Finance and Economics, underscored that land conversion driven by beef production contributes to 17%-34% of Land Use Change (LUC) emissions in the food system (equivalent to 4%-9% of the total food system emissions). She highlighted the significant growth in China’s beef imports over recent years, with nearly 75% of imported beef originating from South America, including Brazil (41%), Argentina (18%), Uruguay (13%), among others. Industries related to production, manufacturing, and wholesale are predominantly distributed in the western, central, southwestern, and northeastern regions of China, with various stages of the industry chain relatively dispersed. Dr. Shi Lin shared insights from the perspective of green supply chain finance, addressing the current status and challenges in supporting traceability systems and biodiversity conservation.
To foster idea exchange and facilitate subsequent actions, participants from both China and the international community actively participated in dynamic discussions during the workshop’s group discussion segment. The focus centered on crucial topics, including the “current state of traceability in the beef industry,” “vital supply chain data and data acquisition,” and “measures necessary to enhance traceability in China’s beef supply chain.” Attendees underscored the collaborative nature required to achieve traceability in the beef supply chain, emphasizing the importance of communication, coordination, and the integration of existing traceability systems and platforms in both China and other beef-producing countries. The overarching objective is to establish traceability from the source to the end consumer, thereby advancing the green and sustainable transformation of the beef supply chain.
To facilitate in-depth discussions, the seminar was organized into three sections: ‘Domestic Experience Sharing,’ ‘International Experience Sharing,’ and ‘Enterprise Case Sharing.’ The objective was to establish an information exchange and mutually beneficial development platform between Chinese meat enterprises and those from major beef-producing countries. This was achieved through the sharing of domestic and international enterprise cases, as well as practical experiences.