Our Sustainability Credentials

We depend on our land and its future depends on us. Farming is an ancient tradition and as farmers we have a duty to preserve it for generations more to come. How? At The Good Herdsmen we believe you have to start from the ground up.

Healthy soils sit at the heart of every successful organic pasture based system. We work hard to replenish soils on our land. This provides a solid foundation for a thriving ecosystem. From there it’s all about biodiversity, creating new ecosystems, and managing our natural resources better. Together we’re on a mission to protect the balance of our natural environment – going back to the way it was while leveraging all that we know now.

The Good Herdsmen bee hive
Illustration of a ladybird
Good Herdsmen river water
Helping the land to thrive

Ireland is blessed with superb quality land but we never take it for granted. Over 10,000 native Irish trees have been planted on The Good Herdsmen Organic Farm over the last three years, and 10% of our farm has been dedicated to new eco habitats and shelter belts for our livestock. We take great pride in showing others how the land can benefit when it is used for more than just rearing livestock.

Water management is another way we ensure the land remains healthy and thriving. We’ve introduced new water management programmes with the inclusion of natural reed bed filtration systems to maintain quality water courses in our environs. These water courses are not only beautiful and picturesque, they’re absolutely essential to a healthy environment.

Our Sustainability Targets

We always aim high. That’s why ABP Food Group adopted science-based targets years ago. These targets focus on the quantity of emissions that need to be reduced in order to meet the global goal established in the Paris Climate Agreement. Since they’re independently set and verified, they’re highly ambitious, but we know this is the only way forward on the road to decarbonising our business.

Here are some of the many things ABP Food Group are working on:

  • Aligning with science-based targets to verify our goals and ensure we do our share
  • Reducing carbon emissions produced through our business with a particular focus on Scope 3
  • Driving the agenda for sustainable beef on a global platform through the European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability
  • Supporting our farmers to practice methods of regenerative agriculture
  • Championing biodiversity and other nature-based solutions
  • ABP Food Group are using organic methods to enhance conventional farming and reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides
  • Minimising waste produced by our business through our circular economy – recycling is key
  • Developing card-based packaging to minimise plastic waste
  • Adopting technology to reduce our use of resources
  • Spearheading meaningful research and development to improve sustainability throughout our company
Good Herdsmen sustainability targets

More about Sustainability...

The Good Herdsmen cattle in a field

Animal Welfare
The Good Herdsmen cattle in a field

Six Pillars of Focus
The Good Herdsmen farmer

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Who we are

The Good Herdsmen is a collective of real people united by a desire to farm better. Now one of the most trusted organic meat processors in Europe, our movement has grown but our mission remains as pure as that very first day: protecting the balance of our natural environment through a genuine respect for our livestock and land.

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Good Herdsmen cattle in a field