LCA Food 2012 in Saint Malo, France! - Manifestations et colloques ...

PARALLEL SESSION 6C: POULTRY AND PORK PRODUCTION SYSTEMS 8 th Int. Conference on LCA in the
Agri-Food Sector, 1-4 Oct 2012
same and hardly any further inputs are needed. There is only an increase in eutrophication and acidification
potential which results from higher ammonia emissions due to the straw bedding and the outdoor run.
Both conventional pig and chicken production are relatively standardised production systems in developed
countries. Animal genetics and production techniques and methods are similar and therefore differences
in animal performance are rather small (see Table 1 and Table 2). Accordingly, Figure 3 shows similar results
in environmental performance for pig production in different countries. The same applies for chicken
production, where production is even more standardised all over the world. A decisive factor the impact
category deforestation is the production of soybean meal. So different shares of this feedstuff in diets and the
use of soybeans from non-deforested areas influences this category greatly and has also an effect on global
warming potential due to CO2-emissions from deforested areas.
200%
150%
100%
50%
0%
Energy demand, non renewable
Energy demand, non renewable
Global warming potential
Global warming potential
Ozone formation (Vegetation)
Ozone formation (Vegetation)
Ozone formation (Human)
Ozone formation (Human)
Resources (phosphorus)
Resources (phosphorus)
Resources (potassium)
Resources (potassium)
Land competition, arable
Land competition, arable
Deforestation
Deforestation
Figure 3. Relative environmental impacts for 1 kg of pork at farm gate and at the retail store for conventional
production in Switzerland (CH conv.), Germany (DE) and Denmark (DK). 100% = conventional production
in Switzerland.
Both in pork and in chicken production, feedstuffs are by far the most dominant inputs. Feedstuffs account
for about 40% of the non-renewable energy consumption and global warming potential and for around
two thirds of the human toxicity and ecotoxicity impacts of pork at the farm gate (Figure 4). In chicken production,
where environmental impacts per kg LW are generally lower compared to pork, feedstuffs are even
more important, accounting for more than 50% of the non-renewable energy consumption and more than
70% of the global warming potential of 1 kg chicken (LW) (Figure 5).
The environmental impacts of feedstuffs result mainly from crop production. So both the method of production
of feeds and the efficiency of feed conversion turned out to be decisive factors for environmental
impacts per kg meat.
Water use (blue water)
Water use (blue water)
Eutrophication terr.
Eutrophication terr.
CH (conv.) DE DK
Eutrophication aq. N
Eutrophication aq. N
post-agricultural processes
Eutrophication aq. P
Eutrophication aq. P
Acidification
Acidification
Ecotox terr.
Ecotox terr.
Ecotox aq.
Ecotox aq.
Human tox
Human tox
557