How Climate-Smart Beef Reduces Emissions While Growing Market Share
Introduction: Why Climate-Smart Beef Matters Now
The global beef sector is facing a turning point. Once viewed as a climate problem too complex to tackle, beef production is now being reshaped by climate-smart strategies that not only cut emissions but also create commercial opportunity. From regulators demanding emissions transparency to retailers prioritizing deforestation-free sourcing, the rules of the game have changed.
For beef processors and exporters, meeting these expectations is no longer about ticking a sustainability box. It’s about securing shelf space, defending export access, and commanding premiums. All while preparing for an economic future shaped by carbon regulation.
This is the promise of climate-smart beef: data-backed, emissions-aware production that doesn’t just protect the planet but grows the business. In this blog, we break down how this transformation works and how ODOS is helping make it possible.
Emissions in the Beef Value Chain
Beef is often targeted for its environmental impact, and with good reason. It carries the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per kilo of protein among major meat types, due mainly to:
Enteric methane from cattle digestion (the biggest contributor)
Feed production (especially soy and maize with land-use change risks)
Manure management and its associated nitrous oxide emissions
Land use and grazing practices, which affect soil carbon and biodiversity
Up to 90% of beef’s total emissions footprint lies on the farm, not in the processing plant. That means even the most efficient slaughterhouse or meatpacker can’t meet climate targets without farm-level interventions. But getting data from hundreds or thousands of small, independent farms? That’s the hard part.
And yet, that’s where the most impactful climate gains are possible and where the market is heading.
Market Forces Are Moving Faster Than Regulation
While climate regulations such as the EU Methane Strategy, CSRD, and EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation) are raising compliance stakes, market dynamics are moving even faster.
Retailers and foodservice giants from Tesco to McDonald’s have their own Scope 3 reduction targets. Export buyers are demanding traceable, carbon-conscious sourcing. In some regions, buyers now require not just country-of-origin certification but full emissions documentation, verified down to the farm level.
This is transforming sustainability from a cost center to a competitive advantage:
Beef with verified low emissions data wins listings.
Processors with Scope 3 strategies attract better finance terms.
Farms in emissions pilot programs are being prioritized in procurement.
Beef companies that delay action aren’t just risking reputational damage. They’re risking market share.
Leading Companies Setting the Pace
The shift toward climate-smart beef isn’t theoretical. It’s already underway, led by a handful of ambitious companies and forward-thinking cooperatives that are reshaping the sector from within.
ABP Food Group: Surpassing Emissions Targets with Scalable Solutions
One of the clearest examples is ABP Food Group, a private, family-owned beef processor operating across Ireland, the UK, and Europe. ABP has committed to reducing its Scope 3 emissions by 17% by 2030. They already surpassed that goal by 2022, cutting FLAG (farm-level) emissions by approximately 27%.
ABP’s strategy centers on measurable impact and farmer engagement. Through its PRISM 2030 program, the company works directly with 350 farms to implement interventions in feed, breeding, and soil management. It also operates a dedicated demonstration farm to trial innovations. From improved genetics to rotational grazing, and measure their real-world effects. These insights are then shared across its 13,000+ Irish farm suppliers via tailored “Beef Benchmark” reports, helping them identify emissions hotspots and improvement opportunities.
Dawn Meats: Integrating Climate into Core Business Strategy
Another frontrunner is Dawn Meats, which launched its “Plan Four Zero” to align its operations and supply chain with a 1.5°C climate trajectory. The company is an active participant in the European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability (ERBS) and has incorporated climate-smart practices across several production sites.
Dawn’s impact has extended beyond Ireland. Through its acquisition of a Spanish beef processing plant, it brought its sustainability ethos to new suppliers, initiating methane reduction strategies at farm level. This shows how industry leadership can cascade across borders, especially when backed by clear metrics and support systems.
Dehesa Grande: A Cooperative Model Embracing Natural Strengths
In Spain, the cooperative Dehesa Grande represents a different but equally important model. As a federation of beef cooperatives located in the Salamanca region, it leans into its ecological advantages, namely, extensive grazing systems rooted in biodiverse dehesa landscapes. These pastures, dotted with oak trees and rich in native flora, act as natural carbon sinks.
While smaller in scale, Dehesa Grande is taking critical first steps with carbon measurement pilots. These efforts are helping build a sustainability narrative that highlights the role of traditional, low-input systems in modern climate solutions and gives its members a foundation to participate in carbon markets or green procurement schemes.
How ODOS Supports Beef Companies
ODOS offers beef businesses a practical, scalable path to climate-smart production. Our platform integrates emissions and biodiversity tracking directly into the beef supply chain. From farm inputs to final product, allowing companies to:
1. Baseline and Map Emissions Hotspots
We connect with existing traceability, feed purchase, and QA systems to establish emissions baselines across farms. Our models account for feed type, manure handling, methane output, and land use, giving processors a granular view of where reductions are most feasible.
2. Model Reduction Scenarios
Want to know what happens if 10% of your supply base adopts a methane-reducing feed additive? Or if half implement improved grazing? ODOS runs mitigation scenarios across your supplier network to guide targeted investment and engagement.
3. Streamline Reporting and Compliance
From SBTi FLAG reports to CSRD-ready disclosures, ODOS automates Scope 3 and biodiversity data collection, reducing overhead while improving audit readiness. No more chasing forms; data flows from farms into your central dashboard.
4. Engage Farmers with Insights That Matter
Our platform doesn’t just serve processors. We give farmers access to their own performance metrics, emissions per kilo of beef, improvement potential, and comparisons to peers, helping businesses reward their farmers for sustainable practices.
5. Add Biodiversity as a Differentiator
We don’t stop at carbon. ODOS maps “space for nature,” hedgerow coverage, and habitat presence. Essential for meeting emerging EU nature metrics and adding depth to your ESG claims.
Sustainability As Sales Strategy
In today’s beef markets, verified sustainability credentials have become a commercial lever. European retailers are increasingly selecting suppliers based on environmental performance, with carbon labels and emissions scorecards entering the mainstream. Export buyers, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, are seeking traceable, low-carbon beef to meet their own ESG obligations.
ODOS equips processors with the tools to meet this demand:
Export Readiness: Provide buyers with clear, verifiable emissions data.
Retailer Standards: Integrate Scope 3 FLAG data into packaging and shelf criteria.
Product Differentiation: Enable the creation of ESG-branded lines such as “low-carbon beef” or “nature-positive beef.”
Beef companies using ODOS aren’t just staying compliant. They’re positioning themselves to win in increasingly competitive and climate-conscious markets.
Conclusion: From Risk to Opportunity
Climate-smart beef is more than just a trend. It’s a business transformation rooted in science, powered by data, and increasingly demanded by the market. For beef companies willing to invest in measurable sustainability and share that story transparently, the rewards are real: lower emissions, stronger relationships with farmers, and a competitive edge in a climate-conscious economy. At ODOS, we’re proud to be helping build that future.
Ready to turn sustainability into a strategic asset?
Let’s talk about how ODOS can help you cut emissions and grow your market footprint at scale.