Global demand for animal protein, including pork, is increasing. The positive impact on human nutrition is notable, but what is the impact on the wider environment?
A key element of sustainability for the agricultural sector is growing more food, from the same or less resources.
Sustainability in pork production is a multifaceted challenge that requires a comprehensive approach spanning the entire value chain. From farm to fork, every step in the pork production process offers opportunities for innovation and improvement. A full value chain approach to sustainable pork seeks to address environmental, economic, and social impacts, ensuring that the sector can meet the growing global demand for pork while minimizing its ecological footprint.
This holistic strategy involves collaborative efforts among farmers, processors, retailers, and policymakers to implement practices that enhance efficiency, reduce emissions, and promote animal welfare.
Sustainable pork production involves a holistic approach. The biggest impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions comes from manure, feed, processing, and retail. Aiming for improvement throughout the value chain, robust measurement, with clear goals, supports sustainability.
Cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA), which measures and quantifies the environmental impacts of products, is key to supporting cooperation among various actors across in making genuine progress towards sustainable pork production.
LCAs are complex and need active measurement. There are many smart farming tools that not only optimise production but also thorough data gathering.
Data empowers insight for LCA and a myriad of other benefits. While many tools are focused on a regenerative approach, all producers can use LCAs. This allows farmers to benchmark performance and identify areas of improvement.
Pig manure can be a source of 45% of GHG on farm, with methane the main contributor to this statistic. Pig manure, or slurry, requires careful management on farm. Treatment is often based on staffing levels, technical skill and outcomes required on the holding.
Slurry lagoons are dangerous places. They need proper management, particularly in nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZ).
Water courses should be protected from exposure to waste when fertilising land with slurry. In the UK, lagoon space for 6 months of slurry storage is legally required on pig farms.
Storing and sustainably managing slurry is two different things. Capturing CH4, methane, is a step toward farms operating in a circular economy. In most simplistic terms, capturing methane emission from pig waste can be used in biogas for heating and fuel. And, doing so actively manages the biggest GHG emission in the LCA.
Feed is a multi-stream opportunity. Not only to increase efficient production, but reduce waste. There is also opportunity to explore alternative options away from traditional feed materials.
Emphasis on sourcing materials produced in an efficient way is available to feed brands. By creating a framework of standards, they can choose the best suppliers across the world.
Feed suppliers should create formulations that reduce waste, and lower the impact of raw materials. The impact of harvest levels changes based on weather patterns, and data on what farmers are intending to plant in season.
Alternate feedstuffs are also an opportunity to switch land used for animal feed into human grade production. This also reduces the reliance on conventional grains and oilseeds. This is important particularly in soy where deforestation can be an issue.
The bottom line of sustainability in the feed approach is feed efficiency. Or, how well an animal can convert feed into bodyweight.
Traditional grains provide easier access to energy, protein and other essential nutrients. Alternative feedstuffs, when combined with exogenous enzymes, improve feed digestibility. They provide an alternate stream that could unlock sustainable benefits in feed.
Tied closely into feed efficiency is genetic selection. Breeding pigs for traits that enhance resilience such as feed efficiency and disease resistance, results in lower emissions. Already, genetic selection has been optimised to breed lean, muscular pigs with ration levels as low as 2.2-2.3 with daily weight gain close to 1000g/day.
Integrators can streamline elements of processing to increase sustainability. Tied closely to the previously mentioned manure management is biogas.
Biogas could be considered to create an on-farm circular economy, where processing happens on-site. Switching to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power can also reduce footprint.
Reducing waste to landfill, or even setting a target of zero waste to landfill is an excellent target. Water is an increasingly challenged resource. The global water gap is predicted to be around 40% by 2030, where demand will outstrip supply. Naturally this will be location dependent. Integrators should consider levels of water use, quality of water, and management of wastewater back into the supply.
Clean water is essential for animal health and welfare. Biofilm in pipes and tanks creates pathogen challenge in pig crops – another opportunity for a marginal gain.
Rising food prices have been seen worldwide. The battle for consumer spend between retail outlets has led to pressure on price for producers. Unsustainably low shelf prices of pork in the US and EU following the recent cost of living crisis will impact producers. A side effect of this could potentially reduce investment in sustainable practice.
A crossroads between welfare and pure sustainability is highlighted by outdoor vs indoor pig rearing. Indoor rearing is more sustainable when it comes down to the LCA numbers. However, many consumers and welfare groups argue that outdoor-reared pigs are more acceptable.
Positioning pork as a healthy and sustainable form of protein will be an essential way to ensure sustainability. And perhaps even an emphasis on price premiums for animal protein products. It is true that the closer a producer is to the consumer, the more likely a focus on sustainable practice as margins increase.
Consumers are becoming savvier, and more interested in the environmental impacts of their choices. Using data gleaned from LCAs to support marketing material is an excellent way to back up claims and eliminate greenwashing.
Additionally, working on sustainable packaging, extending shelf life, and optimising portion size to reduce waste are also marginal gains. When combined, these reduce footprint and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.
By incorporating insights from research studies and industry experts, stakeholders can work towards developing innovative solutions that promote sustainability across all facets of pork production. From optimizing feed efficiency to slurry management, the journey towards sustainable pork production requires consistent, holistic and collaborative efforts.
By integrating marginal gains into pork production systems, the sector can strive to achieve a balance between production and resource use, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the industry. Continuous improvement, a focus on LCA learnings and marginal gains across a holistic approach can rapidly stack gains and reduce emissions, leading to increased sustainability in pork production.
05 July 2024