Abstract
Context: The aims of global pig production systems include a reduction of their environmental impacts, which can be achieved through an increase in outputs whilst minimising inputs.
Objective: The aim of this paper was to develop a novel method to enable estimation of the changes in the environmental impacts based on sparse data from the British pig production industry over ~20 years.
Methods: To achieve this, we developed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method capable of dealing with sparse historical data from livestock systems. We applied it, for the first time, to estimate the temporal changes in environmental impacts of British pig production systems caused by changes in production performance. Performance data available from industry-held databases for indoor and outdoor bred pigs in Britain were used to estimate nutrient requirements through animal performance modelling, and feed composition through least-cost formulation. The cradle to farm-gate LCA model developed, included manure management and the full life cycle of the pigs and its functional unit was 1 kg of live weight pig at farm-gate. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to investigate the potential influence of changes in animal performance and feed prices on the estimated changes in environmental impacts.
Results and Conclusions: The higher growth rates and increased leanness over the period considered led to substantial reductions in energy requirements. Overall, the system changes led to reductions, for indoor and outdoor bred systems respectively, of 37.0% and 35.4% for Global Warming Potential, 21.2% and 16.4% in Terrestrial Acidification Potential, 22.5% and 22.3% in Freshwater Eutrophication Potential, 15.8% and 16.8% in Agricultural Land Use and 16.5% and 16.1% in Fossil Resource Scarcity. The sensitivity analyses showed that trends in feed composition were influential on the environmental impact outcomes, and that the LCA model was more sensitive to the change in feed composition than to the changes in animal performance over the time period considered.
Significance: Knowledge of temporal changes to the environmental impacts of livestock systems and the drivers of changes to date should guide future decisions to mitigate these impacts.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 103063 |
| Journal | Agricultural Systems |
| Volume | 189 |
| Early online date | 29 Jan 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We are grateful for the data provided by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). This research is part of the European SusPig and Feed a Gene projects. SusPig receives funding from the ERA-NET Sustainable Animals and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of England. Feed a Gene receives funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 Programme for Research, Technological Development, and Demonstration under grant agreement no. 633531. JF was partially supported by The Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS).
Funding Information:
We are grateful for the data provided by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) . This research is part of the European SusPig and Feed a Gene projects. SusPig receives funding from the ERA-NET Sustainable Animals and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of England . Feed a Gene receives funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 Programme for Research, Technological Development, and Demonstration under grant agreement no. 633531 . JF was partially supported by The Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords
- Environmental impact
- Great Britain
- Historical data
- Life cycle assessment
- Sensitivity analysis
- Swine
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology
- Agronomy and Crop Science
