Livestock production is responsible for 12% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and its impact on climate disruption will worsen if nothing is done as global demand for meat increases. This is indicated in a FAO report.
To reduce the sector's emissions, the UN agency above all recommends improving efficiency throughout the chain, changing the animals' diet and improving their health. He also mentions reducing meat consumption in rich countries as a way, although he clarifies that it may have a limited level if it is supplemented with fruits and vegetables with a high carbon footprint.
In 2015, livestock agri-food systems accounted for approximately 6.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions (GtCO2eq) per year, equivalent to around 12% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
This calculation is measured in CO2 equivalent, which means that the three gases involved are taken into account: methane, nitro oxides and carbon dioxide. In total, these emissions from livestock represent 40% of the total emissions of agri-food systems, estimated by the FAO at around 16 GtCO2eq.
In indirect emissions, the FAO counted the manufacture of fertilizers and pesticides for the production of fodder, the transportation and processing of animals, but also the transformation of forests into pastures or soybean fields used for fodder.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations made its estimates based on data from 2015, when 810 million tons of milk, 78 million tons of eggs and 330 million tons of meat were produced, according to the document. .
Beef cattle (including beef and milk) contribute around 3.8 GtCO2 equivalent per year, or 62% of total livestock, while 14% is attributed to pigs, 9% to chickens, 8% and 7% to small ruminants (goats)
By commodity, meat production accounts for two-thirds of emissions, milk 30% and eggs the rest.
Direct emissions, including methane from enteric fermentation of ruminants and nitrous oxide from manure management systems, account for 60% of the sector's total emissions, with the remainder coming from the manufacture of fertilizers and pesticides. for feed production, feed manufacturing itself as well as the processing and transportation of feed, live animals and livestock products, and land use changes associated with feed production.
Meat consumption tends to increase as wealth and urbanization grows in the urban world, although growing concerns about climate change, health and animal welfare could also slow it down, the FAO says.
It is expected, however, that between the growth of the world population and the average demand per capita, the consumption of animal proteins should increase by 21% between 2020 and 2050, the agency predicts.
To satisfy this appetite and prevent the number of animals from increasing, several recommendations are proposed for both production and consumption.
To reduce the sector's emissions, the most effective way, according to the FAO, is to increase productivity throughout the chain, for example by using various techniques to obtain a greater volume of milk produced by cows or by reducing the age at which animals arrive at the slaughterhouse. .
Next comes the practices of animal nutrition and the improvement of their health, as it contributes not only to increasing their productivity but also reducing the mortality rate.
The selection of certain genetic traits, the provision of additives that may affect digestion or the reduction of waste are also recommended.
The FAO also mentions reducing meat consumption, but stresses that its impact is limited if meat is replaced, for example, by vegetables grown in greenhouses or out-of-season fruits transported by plane.
If residents followed official nutritional recommendations, this would generally lead to lower meat consumption in rich countries and therefore reduced emissions, the FAO notes.
But in middle-income countries, the fall in emissions related to meat would be largely offset by the increase in emissions related to fruits, vegetables and nuts grown partly in greenhouses.
And in low-income countries, it is often recommended to increase consumption of both plant and animal proteins.
FAO Deputy Director-General María Helena Semedo indicated that “solutions such as improving animal health or breeding practices, reducing food loss and waste, and directly addressing greenhouse gas emissions” have the potential to provide multiple benefits for people and the planet, but they require investments in the sector” to provide these answers while there is an increase in global demand for animal protein. She said interventions should be location-specific and that farmers' access to finance and services should be facilitated to enable them to implement tailored interventions.
Raising a cow in a feedlot in the United States tends to produce fewer emissions per animal than in sub-Saharan Africa, the FAO notes. Therefore, the room for improvement is greatest in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, South America and Asia.
However, "it is not a question of promoting intensification in these regions at all costs, but rather of taking inspiration from systems with relatively lower emission intensities," underlines the UN agency.
