Daniel Vasella discovered his love for nature early on. The former boss of Novartis likes to remember the letters his father sent to little Daniel from Uruguay. “There were scales with cattle on them, which made me wonder and yearn,” says the 69-year-old. His stay with a farming family in Surselva in Falera in Graubünden was also formative in his childhood.
So it’s no coincidence that the former CEO and President of the Basel pharmaceutical giant found a second home in Uruguay, on the cattle farm Sol Dorado (golden sun). Vasella may not be the first successful Swiss entrepreneur to run a farm in Latin America, but he is certainly the first to produce certified carbon neutral beef. Uruguay offers ideal conditions for this. The winters are mild, the pastures are wide and the soil is fertile. Vasella says it’s crucial to break new ground for the future of meat production: “You have to reforest and minimize energy consumption.” And as a typical senior executive he adds: “Without faith, we set ourselves progressively higher goals each year.”
Premium Angus beef is shipped to Switzerland under the brand name “Sol Dorado” and sold through A+C Delicatessen. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, it’s available in all Top CC’s and as hand-cut chinoises from Spar. The meat is marked with the LSQA’s “Cradle to Gate” seal. The certification is based on international ISO standards and adapts the methodology of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to research and verify the carbon footprint of meat. The quality and compliance of the guidelines are regularly checked by INAC (Instituto Nacional de Carnes) and Swiss SGS and LSQA. All Sol Dorado products are “Never Ever 3” (no antibiotics, growth promoters or animal protein feed), “Bienestar Animal” certified. Sol Dorado is the first South American cattle breeding company to hold the “CO₂ neutral” seal of approval.
Premium Angus beef is shipped to Switzerland under the brand name “Sol Dorado” and sold through A+C Delicatessen. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, it’s available in all Top CC’s and as hand-cut chinoises from Spar. The meat is marked with the LSQA’s “Cradle to Gate” seal. The certification is based on international ISO standards and adapts the methodology of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to research and verify the carbon footprint of meat. The quality and compliance of the guidelines are regularly checked by INAC (Instituto Nacional de Carnes) and Swiss SGS and LSQA. All Sol Dorado products are “Never Ever 3” (no antibiotics, growth promoters or animal protein feed), “Bienestar Animal” certified. Sol Dorado is the first South American cattle breeding company to hold the “CO₂ neutral” seal of approval.
A cow on two football fields
The farm in the 5600-hectare Florida section in southern Uruguay is surrounded by savannas, the South American country has one of the largest grassland biomes in the world, as experts call such valuable eco-regions. On average, each cow is fed in an area the size of more than two football fields. This leaves enough room for a rich environment with deer, capybara, fox, rabbit, snake or armadillo. A total of 4,700 Angus cattle graze in herds of 135 to 400 animals in Sol Dorado. Calves are born outside and spend the first few months growing up with their mothers. They only eat grass and have no hormones or antibiotics, animal by-products or concentrates. And for the farm operators, not only the quality of the meat, but also the animal welfare is as important as the medical care. Despite the large spaces, the cattle are by no means shy: “We trust people a lot,” says agronomist Sebastian Olaso, the farm’s managing director.
“We treat our cattle as humanely as possible,” says Olaso, adding that he loves his job in his blood, and that his grandfather was a farmer: “The farm has a long history, we continue a 100-year tradition here. And at the same time, we will bring the farm into the modern age.» Seeing Gauchos on their nimble horses is like stepping back in time. They deftly lead herds from one pasture to another, with Border Collies helping them out as sheepdogs.
Beef as part of the solution
But the pastoral image of grazing cattle has a bad image: One cow emits about 100 kilograms of methane a year, 10 to 20 times more harmful to the climate than the gas CO₂. Industrial animal husbandry, where the use of concentrated feed is high, exacerbates the problem. But Olaso says cows are wrongly viewed as climate killers: “Cattle is not the problem, it’s part of the solution.” Because: “They eat grass so they stimulate growth and bind carbon in the soil.” If the cow emits methane, it turns into CO₂ in the atmosphere within twelve years.
Tucked between Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay covers an area about four times the size of Switzerland. Political conditions are stable and there is almost no corruption. According to the Democracy Index of the British newspaper The Economist, Uruguay ranks 13th, just three places behind Switzerland. Per capita income is one of the highest in South America at $17,000 per year. Livestock is one of the most important sectors of the economy: there are four million people and twelve million cattle. The country is well on its way to positioning itself as a climate-friendly meat producer.
Tucked between Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay covers an area about four times the size of Switzerland. Political conditions are stable and there is almost no corruption. According to the Democracy Index of the British newspaper The Economist, Uruguay ranks 13th, just three places behind Switzerland. Per capita income is one of the highest in South America at $17,000 per year. Livestock is one of the most important sectors of the economy: there are four million people and twelve million cattle. The country is well on its way to positioning itself as a climate-friendly meat producer.
Sol Dorado was originally a farmer, the results are measured using the most modern methods. The road to SGS certification was a long one: It took two years for the farm to prove that it had achieved a carbon sequestration that was at least as high as its own, from the birth of the cattle, through to raising and fattening, to arrival at the slaughterhouse. emissions. What about transportation to Europe? “The energy balance of our production is balanced because it is so efficient,” explains Olaso. However, someone is also in the process of approving this process.
quality instead of profit
With an annual meat export of 60 tons, Sol Dorado is not a big player in the market, but Vasella is not just about trade. “We’ve sacrificed profits for years to achieve this high quality,” she says. Despite slightly higher prices, profits are still modest. Former pharma director: “Ultimately, consumers must decide for themselves whether they are willing to pay more for high-quality meat and thus support our approach.”
Vasella has fulfilled her childhood dream with the farm. His time in Uruguay makes him grateful and gives him a sense of freedom: “Whenever possible, my wife and I spend a few weeks on the farm twice a year. Our children will be happy to join in if they can.” He couldn’t gallop like a gaucho. “I like horseback riding, but it’s not good,” Vasella admits honestly. “Fortunately, my horse is considerate of me.”
We asked Florian Leiber, Head of Livestock Sciences at FiBL, the organic agriculture research institute at Frick AG.
Mr. Leiber, is it possible to produce meat in a way that does not harm the climate?
Florian Leiber: Every meat production causes emissions. How much depends on various factors. For example, whether the animals are fed from pasture or field. The expansion and intensification of global arable farming – particularly for animal feed production – has a negative impact on the climate.
Could a climate-neutral cattle farm, like the one Daniel Vasella run in Uruguay, be viable in Switzerland?
Definitely. Our landscape is a typical example of this, Switzerland is dominated by grassland. If you want to produce beef, pasture-based production is the most sustainable for land use reasons. Farmland is needed to feed pigs and chickens, and we don’t have enough of that in this country. However, we have a lot of pasture land and we are using it less and less.
how come
Because despite the subsidies, it is not profitable. Up to 10 percent of alpine pastures are lost each year due to bush infestation. This causes ecological damage. In return, the more milk and meat we produce in the meadows, the more we relieve the agricultural lands. This is a scarce resource in Switzerland, so we depend on imports.
So the cow isn’t a climate killer?
Since natural meadows are an important carbon store, they make an important contribution to the ecosystem. Such soils are more productive than forests thanks to their biodiversity – they store CO₂ like a sponge. This only works when cows and sheep graze and fertilize meadows and stimulate growth. So veal isn’t the worst thing when consuming meat and cheese – as long as you use the resources right.
We asked Florian Leiber, Head of Livestock Sciences at FiBL, the organic agriculture research institute at Frick AG.
Mr. Leiber, is it possible to produce meat in a way that does not harm the climate?
Florian Leiber: Every meat production causes emissions. How much depends on various factors. For example, whether the animals are fed from pasture or field. The expansion and intensification of global arable farming – particularly for animal feed production – has a negative impact on the climate.
Could a climate-neutral cattle farm, like the one Daniel Vasella run in Uruguay, be viable in Switzerland?
Definitely. Our landscape is a typical example of this, Switzerland is dominated by grassland. If you want to produce beef, pasture-based production is the most sustainable for land use reasons. Farmland is needed to feed pigs and chickens, and we don’t have enough of that in this country. However, we have a lot of pasture land and we are using it less and less.
how come
Because despite the subsidies, it is not profitable. Up to 10 percent of alpine pastures are lost each year due to bush infestation. This causes ecological damage. In return, the more milk and meat we produce in the meadows, the more we relieve the agricultural lands. This is a scarce resource in Switzerland, so we depend on imports.
So the cow isn’t a climate killer?
Since natural meadows are an important carbon store, they make an important contribution to the ecosystem. Such soils are more productive than forests thanks to their biodiversity – they store CO₂ like a sponge. This only works when cows and sheep graze and fertilize meadows and stimulate growth. So veal isn’t the worst thing when consuming meat and cheese – as long as you use the resources right.
Katja Richard
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
