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

GROUP 1, SESSION A: ANIMAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS 8 th Int. Conference on LCA in the
Agri-Food Sector, 1-4 Oct 2012
7. Life cycle assessment of four fattening calves systems in Spain
Sandra Lartategui Arias 1,* , José Soler Rovira 2
1 Global Food Quality, Campus Montegancedo Parque Científico y tecnológico, Centro empresas Local 12
28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain, 2 Escuela de Ingeniería Técnica Agrícola. Universidad Politécnica
de Madrid. Ciudad Universitaria, s/n 28040 Madrid, Spain, * Corresponding author. E-mail address: slartategui@globalfq.com
The livestock sector is a very important element of stress for many ecosystems and for the entire planet (FAO,
2009). In Spain, livestock production contributes in a proportion of about 5% of the total equivalent CO2 (De
Blas, et al. 2008). Although intensive feedlot system is the most widespread in Spain, there are other systems
(extensive and semi-extensive) whose environmental impact is interesting to assess.
We used the LCA methodology to asses four fattening systems of calves used in Spain. Two of these systems
were of intensive fattening, where calves fed on concentrate of cereals; other system was of extensive fattening,
calves fed on grass, and the last one was of semi-extensive fattening, with calves fatted in two phases, at
the first one fed with grass and at the second one (named “finishing”) with grain concentrate.
The objectives of this LCA study were firstly identify which unit processes generate more environmental
impacts, and secondly compare the environmental impact of the those four systems of fattening. For each
system of fattening were analysed: i) production of raw materials (soya, palm oil, grass, etc) used in the feedstuff,
including fertilisation and tillage; ii) transport of raw materials to the farm where calves are fattened;
iii) the fattening of calves on the farm, including enteric methane emissions and emissions from manure.
Impact categories analysed were global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (ACP) and eutrophication
potential (EUP). Literature data of specific on site systems, transport calculation and different databases
and references were used (Lartategui-Arias, 2010). The functional unit considered was ton of meat
for consumption, once removed the entrails, skin, head, legs and fat coverage. The system limits of the study
are shown in Fig. 1.
According to data from the agricultural process, fertilising and tilling, is the most polluting in GWP category
in intensive farms (Table 1). At extensive and semi-extensive farms, fattening of calves are the most polluting
in this category. In EUP category, fattening activity is the most polluting in three of four systems analysed,
the two intensive and semi-extensive. In ACP, fattening is the most polluting activity in the four systems
analysed. Adding all the unitary processes, semi-extensive system is the most polluting in EUP and
ACP categories, primarily due to the process of fertilisation of the raw materials forming the feedstuff of the
finish phase and fattening process. In GWP, the extensive system is the most polluting, primarily due to the
fattening process, in which enteric methane emissions play an important role.
References
De Blas, C., García-Rebollar, P., Cambra-López, M. y Torres, A.G. 2008. El cebo de terneros en España, una
actividad respetuosa con el medioambiente. Estudio de la repercusión de la producción de vacuno de carne
en la emisión de gases con efecto invernadero. ASOPROVAC. Madrid, Spain.
FAO, 2009. La larga sombra del ganado, problemas ambientales y opciones. Roma. ISBN: 978-92-5-
305571-5.
Lartategui-Arias S. 2010. Aplicación de la metodología de Análisis de Ciclo de Vida para la evaluación ambiental
del cebo de terneros en España. Graduate Thesis, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.
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