Plan Four Zero is our business strategy for building a more resilient and sustainable value chain, working together for a better future.
Our group-wide plan is governed by Three Values and founded on Four Pillars or Focus Areas, which describe our commitments and actions. We follow science when setting goals and making decisions and will continue to scale the right solutions for long-term resilience and sustainability.
Grounded in science, the plan outlines how we will continue to grow our business, strengthen supply chains, manage environmental impact, inspire sustainable farming and support communities and employees.
Investing an initial €100m in Plan Four Zero to accelerate action and scale up solutions.
Our Starting point
Measuring our impact was the first step in managing our emissions and finding the right solutions. Using 2018 as the base year, we found that Scope 1 and 2 operational emissions were approximately 1% of the total and Scope 3 supply chain emissions represented the remaining 99%.
Operational emissions are caused by burning fossil fuels to heat water, F-gases from refrigeration systems, our company vehicles and the procurement of electricity. Sourcing live cattle and lambs from the UK and Ireland, as well as other meat products from around the world, accounted for the largest portion of our emissions, at 95% of the total.
Our priority is to address operational and on-farm emissions.
Our Climate Targets
Our targets are approved by the Science-Based Targets Initiative. By 2030 we are committed to reduce:
- Scope 1 and 2 absolute emissions by 59%, in line with a 1.5°C pathway
- Scope 3 emissions intensity of Purchased Goods and Services by 28%, per tonne of finished product
In 2026, we are updating these targets to include FLAG and non-FLAG, near- and long-term targets.
Supply chain emissions are outside of our direct control, and successfully reducing them to net-zero will require collaboration across sectors and industries; locally, nationally and globally, with everyone playing their part.
We will protect and restore nature and biodiversity and work towards the development of a circular economy, powered by renewable energy.
We will inspire sustainable farming to foster better animal health and welfare, enhance meat quality and restore biodiversity, soil health and water quality.
We will provide high quality, natural, delicious food, rich in essential vitamins and minerals, to support human nutrition as part of a balanced diet.
We will promote and support fairness, equity, inclusion, talent development, ethical trade and human rights with our people and communities.
Our Operations
We are decreasing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions across our sites and aim to reduce them as close to zero as possible by 2050.
We will continue to procure 100% renewable electricity to power our sites, and progress towards on-site renewable generation.
We have progressively reduced fugitive emissions since 2018 and plan to replace all f-gas systems with zero-emission systems by 2035.
To heat water on our sites, we are upgrading equipment to burn lower emission fuels and switching to renewable sources of thermal energy, such as electricity, and renewable sources of heat recovery, such as heat pumps.
We plan to switch 100% of the company fleet to zero-emission vehicles by 2030.
Our Supply Chain
Our company-wide emissions intensity for sourcing livestock is decreasing.
Across our 24 production sites we have a processing capacity of over 1m cattle and 3.5m sheep a year.
In Ireland and the UK, farm carbon footprints are undertaken every 18-24 months and farmers receive feedback reports explaining their emissions hotspots, along with recommended actions and practice changes to reduce emissions. Such recommendations are aligned with the Teagasc Marginal Abatement Cost Curve and based on each farms’ bespoke enterprise and risk appetite.
In Ireland, Bord Bia carbon footprint over 95.6% of our Irish cattle suppliers who are members of the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme.
In the UK, we are working with Promar and Agrecalc to measure emissions from farms, which represent 9% and 11% of our beef and lamb volumes, respectively. Round One involved collecting farm data from 2021-2022 from 487 farming enterprises, and Round Two collected data from 2023-2025 from 631 enterprises. This informs our weighted-average emission factors and allows us to gather further insights into farm efficiency and sustainability.
We will continue to enhance production efficiencies, improve carcass utilisation and derive greater value from our livestock products, which will further reduce our emissions intensity.
Accelerating Progress
Having established a new baseline, we will continue to engage with our farmer suppliers to accelerate action and reduce emissions. We will increasingly use primary data to calculate more up to date and accurate carbon footprints for our beef and lamb products.
Sharing these product carbon footprints with our customers is an important step in linking supply chain data and developing a consistent approach to measurement, which will allow us to demonstrate progress against our shared climate targets.
The methodology will be third party verified, ensuring credibility and transparency, allowing us to report to a recognised standard.
Baseline
UK
Agrecalc is our chosen carbon footprint tool for our Activate UK sustainable farming project. Agrecalc is aligned with IPCC (2019) methodologies and is PAS 2050:2011 compliant. We began collected far data from 2021-2022 and from Round One of Activate UK we established a weighted average baseline carbon footprint for beef and lamb.
IRELAND
Bord Bia have been carbon footprinting farms using a PAS2050 model for over 10 years. Our weighted average baseline carbon footprint for beef is calculated using farm data from 2018.
On-Farm Action
UK
Promar provide farms in Activate UK with feedback reports with tailored recommendations to reduce emissions. Carbon footprints are repeated every 18-24 months.
IRELAND
Bord Bia provide feedback reports with recommended actions to reduce emissions. Through the SBLAS scheme, carbon footprints are repeated every 18 months.
Through Activate Ireland, progress is accelerated by supporting a 3% annual reduction in on farm emissions through knowledge transfer, training, high-quality data and the development of bespoke farm sustainability plans.
Progress
UK
For Round Two of Activate UK, for 2023-2025, we reported a 7.5% and a 3.2% decrease in the weighted average carbon footprints of beef and lamb, respectively, from the baseline.
IRELAND
For Irish beef, for 2025, we reported a 2% decrease in the weighted average carbon footprint of beef, from the baseline.
For farms in Activate Ireland, we reported a 4.2% decrease in the weighted average carbon footprint of beef, from the baseline.
Verification
Our UK Beef and Lamb cradle to farm gate carbon footprints have been verified to a reasonable level of assurance by the Carbon Trust Assurance, in accordance with ISO 14067:2018, Product Carbon Footprints: Requirements for Assurance v3.0 Part 1 and Part 2.
These verified carbon footprints allow us to report progress against our Science Based Targets.
Economic
In the evolving landscape of food production, economic sustainability transcends financial balance, focusing instead on ensuring the long-term viability of the business.
For us, long-term profitability is intrinsically linked to how we engage with our people, environment, suppliers and customers. It is about creating value for our stakeholders and investing in the future.
Beyond Profit: A Holistic View of Sustainability
Economic sustainability means maintaining and growing profitability in a way that is resilient and responsible, focusing on long-term value creation. WHICH INCLUDE:
Investing in People
Focusing on training, wellbeing, and a safe, fair workplace, improves performance and employee retention.
Protecting the Environment
Environmental degradation poses a direct risk to our supply chains and operations, from extreme weather events to tightening regulations.
Reducing emissions, improving waste management, and transitioning to more sustainable energy and transport systems are not only good for the planet, but they also reduce risk and enhance efficiency.
Supporting Suppliers
Fair partnerships with farmers and suppliers build resilience and ensure quality and consistency.
Meeting Customer Expectations
Demand for transparency, ethical sourcing, and environmental responsibility is growing. We aim to demonstrate authentic sustainability efforts and in return build trust and brand loyalty.
A clear and actionable sustainability strategy like Plan Four Zero ensures that our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments are aligned with our financial goals. It sets measurable targets to drive internal alignment. Plan Four Zero allows us to identify and mitigate future risks, unlock new efficiencies, qualify for sustainability-linked finance and align with customer requirements and expectations.
The path to long-term profitability lies in embedding sustainability into every part of the business. By investing in people, protecting our natural resources, working fairly with suppliers, and delivering value to customers, we continue to build a strong, resilient business.
Insights
We aim to take big steps and accelerate action to ensure our footprints are smaller as we transition to a net zero future.
