Advancing Sustainable Pork Production

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Leveraging Models To Measure Performance, Economics & Sustainability

By Laurence Nantel, Swine Nutrition Advisor, Trouw Nutrition Canada

As the world’s population grows, there is an increasing need to produce more food. The pork industry is conscious of the environmental impact that results from feeding global consumers. Moreover, consumers are increasingly demanding more sustainable agricultural practices. As such, food production is more and more challenged by environmental concerns.

Societal pressure and producer concern for more sustainable agricultural production has forced the pork industry to develop new sustainable strategies, with a particular focus on reducing carbon emissions. To reduce the carbon footprint of a farm, we must first analyze the carbon life cycle of the business; by assessing this, we can establish a benchmark to evaluate carbon intensity. Thanks to the development of new technical tools, assessing the carbon life cycle of a farm is now feasible.

For years, Watson, an integrated swine model tool, has been used to help producers make decisions about their operations, such as diet formulations, the use of feed additives or antibiotics, and transportation. More recently, sustainability has been incorporated into the software, which enables a calculation of the carbon budget of a farm. Carbon budget is measured as kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent; this is a universal unit of measurement, which permits comparisons across various emission sources (e.g., methane, nitrous oxide).

The sustainability feature within Watson can predict the quantity of environmental pollutants associated with all parts of the pork chain, incorporating everything from crop production to transportation, and all the steps in between, such as feed milling, feed intake, and manure management. The reports produced by Watson illustrate and break down the impact of each segment of the swine operation; this can identify areas of focus for reducing the carbon impact of the farm. This tool can also compare scenarios to assess the impact of other changes to an operation, such as varying the genetics, health status, and management practices.

To fully assess carbon intensity, the business must be thoroughly examined to account for the impact of management practices, feeding programs, and animal performance. Of all factors, feed has the largest contribution to the carbon footprint of a farm. For example, the transportation distance of each feed ingredient from field to mill, and then mill to farm, can have a large impact on the carbon footprint. As such, farms that produce their own feed crops can decrease their carbon footprint by reducing feed transportation. The second-largest impact on carbon intensity is related to the management of manure. The process through which pigs digest feed (enteric fermentation) forms methane, which is released via manure.

Although other industries may have a larger comparative impact on emissions, it is still important to reduce carbon emissions in agriculture. Again, many strategies can be implemented to reduce emissions. With respect to manure management, manure pits can be covered, whereas responsible energy use can also be implemented.

Improving animal performance may also reduce the environmental impact of pork production. In other words, improving feed efficiency can increase profitability, while also decreasing the environmental impact of the farm; Watson can quantify this impact. For example, in a simulation, we were able to calculate that improving feed conversion by five per cent reduces the carbon intensity of a farm by three per cent (above). Altogether, improving animal performance can be a win-win for both the farm and the planet.

Both economic and ecological sustainability can simultaneously be improved by assessing the carbon intensity of a farm; by assessing this, we can improve the overall performance of a farm. Moreover, the Watson tool can also rank the position of pork producers relative to other types of livestock production worldwide.

Overall, a product with a smaller carbon footprint is more appealing for the consumer and the swine market. The future of pork production involves measuring the ecological impacts of the operation to improve both animal performance and public trust. BP