Pork Industry Environmental
Sustainability Program
Allan Stokes
Director Environmental Programs
Sustainability
Merriam Webster
– ”of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a
resource so that the resource is not depleted or
permanently damaged “
U.S. EPA Website
– “The traditional definition of sustainability calls for policies
and strategies that meet society’s present needs without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs. ”
n2
Four Pillars of Pork Industry
Environmental Sustainability Program
Air
Footprint
Land
Footprint
Pork Industry
Environmental
Sustainability
Program
Water
Footprint
n3
Carbon
Footprint
Pork Industry Environmental Sustainability Program
• Carbon Footprint / Energy Use – 2010 - 2011
– Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, Methane
• Water Footprint - 2011
– Water use & consumption / water quality impacts
• Air Footprint - 2011 - 2012
– Non-greenhouse gas air emissions
• National Air Emissions Monitoring Study NAEMS) – 2007 – 2010 Completed
• Process-based Air Emissions Model for Swine – 2010-2012
• Land Footprint – 2013
n4
Pork Industry Environmental Sustainability Program - Why
• Doing What’s Right
–
–
–
–
–
–
n5
Produce Safe Food
Protect And Promote Animal Well-Being
Ensure Practices to Protect Public Health
Safeguard Natural Resources In All Of Their Practices
Provide A Work Environment That Is Safe
Contribute To A Better Quality Of Life In Their Communities
Pork Industry Environmental Sustainability Program - Why
• Addressing a Changing Marketplace
– Consumers increasingly removed from agriculture
– Consumers want more information about their food &
environmental impacts
– Increasing pressure from interest groups & media
– Need to build & maintain trust
n6
Pork Industry Environmental Sustainability Program - Why
• Benefits to Producers
– Model to define facility footprint, analyze “hotspots” &
options & Evaluate different technology & practices for
impacts
– Improved management efficiency
– Reduced input costs
– Potential new revenue sources
• Measure Industry Progress
n7
Pork Industry Environmental Sustainability Program - Why
• Identify Areas For Further Industry Progress
– Research
– Education & Outreach
• Provide Sound Science-based Information To
– Meet customer / consumer expectations & requirements
– Answer / preempt attacks by interest groups
– Support dialogue on issues
n8
Pork Industry Environmental Sustainability Program - How
• Literature Review / Meta-Analysis
– What is already known as it relates to pork
• Scan Life-cycle Analysis (LCA) - Pork Chain
– Across entire pork chain “field to fork”
– Low resolution – high aggregation of data
• Detailed Life-cycle Analysis - Live Swine
– Focus on swine production segment of pork chain
– High resolution – low aggregation of data
– “Field to farm gate”
n9
Pork Industry Environmental Sustainability Program - How
• Life Cycle Analysis
A system level accounting associated with a product, service
or activity (life-style) that includes extraction from nature &
contributions from other associated products or services. An
analytical tool for making calculations.
– Following methods & processes outlined by International Standards
Organization (ISO) guidance
– Open sources of data used to fullest extent possible
– Open & transparent process
– Independent peer review panel consistent with ISO guidance
n10
Pork Industry Environmental Sustainability Program - How
Life Cycle Analysis – 4 Phases
Goal and
Scope
Interpretation
Inventory
Attributes or characteristics
of product or process
11
Impact
Environmental
effects of product or
process
Pork Industry Environmental Sustainability Program - How
• Pork Industry LCA - Goal & Scope
– Goal
– Pork Supply Chain Scan Level LCA based on - 1 serving of pork (4
ounce) to consumer in U.S.
– Detailed Live Swine Production LCA based on – 1 pound live weight
sent to harvest
– Scope
– Field to Finished Product
• Exclude infrastructure (buildings/equipment/etc.)
12
Life Cycle Analysis Inventory
Releases to environment
•
An accounting of inputs and outputs
for all stages of a product
Inputs
Outputs
Extractions from environment
13
Life Cycle Analysis Inventry
• Allocation of contribution
– Economic allocation
• Feed byproducts
• Rendering co-products
– Space allocation
• Retail
• In-home
14
Life Cycle Analysis Impact Assessment
Identify ‘hotspots’ for innovation
1 kg
Overall
7
1.54 kg
Processing
0.494
0.904 lfdays
1 kg
Retail
In Home
1.2
1.13
7.49 MJ
Electricity
1.74
8.09 MJ
electricity,
1.73
0.000187 kg
Referigerant
0.563
Finish Barn
3.52
1 kg
Cooking
0.898
0.491 m3
Natural Gas
1.18
0.519 m3
Natural gas,
1.18
15
2.05 kg
3.95 kg
0.0927 kg
Sow Barn
0.572
0.825 kg
Corn Feed
1.5
DDGS
0.553
2.49 kg
Corn Grain
0.661
0.0328 kg
N Fertilizer
0.362
1.07 kg
Corn Grain
0.369
1.19 kg
Soybean Meal
0.49
0.922 kg
Deep Pit
1.02
Pork Industry Carbon Footprint Project
16
Pork Carbon Footprint Project
• National Pork Board Resolution - June 2008
– The carbon footprint of U.S. pork production is an
emerging issue that is of significant importance to the pork
industry and its customers. The board directs National
Pork Board Staff to thoroughly evaluate this issue in order
to define our opportunities and challenges, from which
solutions that are ethically grounded, scientifically
verifiable and economically viable can be implemented.
17
Pork Carbon Footprint Project - What
• A system level accounting (LCA) of Greenhouse Gas
(GHG) emissions associated with pork production
– 3 Primary gases in livestock agriculture
– Measurement of heat trapping potential in atmosphere over a
period of time
– Expressed as carbon dioxide (CO2e) equivalent values
Gas
CO2, carbon dioxide
CH4, methane
N2O, nitrous oxide
100 yr GWP
1
25
298
Pork Carbon Footprint Project - Who
• Working Group
Provide counsel and input to National Pork Board and
contractor(s) in pork carbon footprint initiative process
–
–
–
–
•
Univ. of Arkansas - Applied Sustainability Center
–
19
Pork producers
NPB staff (All Departments)
NPPC
Other stakeholders (Feed & grain, processor & packers, retail)
Contract Technical Assistance to National Pork Board
Pork Carbon Footprint Project - 3 Step Project
• Literature Review
– Completed
• Pork Chain Scan Level Life Cycle Analysis
– Preliminary completed
– Update In Progress based on detailed live swine analysis
• Detailed Live Swine Life Cycle Analysis
– In Progress
– Scheduled completion - December 2010
20
Literature Review - Results
• No Life Cycle Analysis of U.S. Pork Chain for
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
– Research on emissions focused on odor & dust
– Lack reliable body of information on nitrous oxide emission for
animal production
– Additional data needed across entire pork chain to allow for
most accurate LCA possible
• Most Work Done In Europe – Denmark
– While similarities – not directly transferable to U.S.
• Different scope
• Different functional units
21
Literature Review - Results
Swine production LCA - other countries
Summary of EU pork production GWP data: Functional unit = 1kg carcass at farm gate
GWP Kg CO2e/Functional Unit
Reference
Pork produced in Denmark
3.6
Dalgaard et al., 2007
Pork produced in UK
3.3
Dalgaard et al., 2007
Organic pork (Denmark)
3.8 – 4.3
Halberg et al., 2007
Pork produced in Sweden
2.6
Cited in Dalgaard et al., 2007
Pork produced in France
3.0*
Basset-Mens and van der Werf,
2005 (GAP production)
Pork produced in UK
5.6
Williams et al., 2006
Pork produced in Canada
3.1*
Vergé et al., 2009
* Corrected from live weight to carcass weight.
22
Literature Review - Results
Swine production LCA - Denmark
Contribution to global warming potential from the different stages of the pork
production chain in Denmark (Dalgaard et al., 2007 – used with permission)
Includes
Manure
Storage
Functional unit = 1 kg pork delivered to the Port of Harwich, Great Britain
23
Scan Level LCA for U.S. Pork Chain
• Some Underlying Assumptions Made
– 9.5 piglets/litter and 3.5 litters per sow
– Finished live weight: 268 lb
• Carcass = 0.75 live weight
• Boneless = 0.65 carcass
–
–
–
–
–
Typical corn, soy meal, distiller’s grain diets
ASABE ‘standard’ manure characteristics1
IPCC Tier 2 GHG emission factors for manure systems2
Crop sequestration & animal respiration excluded
10% waste (spoiled or uneaten) by consumers
1 American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 2005 ASAE D384.2 MAR2005.
2 Dong, H., et al. (2006) Chapter 10 6 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
24
Scan Level LCA for U.S. Pork Chain
• Some Preliminary Results
– The contribution of GHG emission :
•
•
•
•
•
13.6%: sow barn (including feed &manure handling)
53%: nursery to finish (including feed &manure handling)
6.7%: processing and packaging
14%: retail (electricity &refrigerants)
13%: the consumer (refrigeration & cooking)
– Variability exists
• Based on type of manure management
• Based on region of country
25
Scan Level LCA for U.S. Pork Chain
6
5.6
5
4.3
3.95*
4
3.6
3.3
3.1
3
3
2.6
2.12*
2
1
0
Denmark
Denmark
Organic
UK
UK
Based on GWP Kg CO2e / 1 kg carcass at farm gate
26
Canada
France
Sweden
U.S. Deep
Pit
U.S. Lagoon
*Based on Preliminary Data
Detailed Live Swine LCA for U.S. Pork
• Technical LCA Work
– In progress
– December 2010 scheduled completion
– Scan level of pork chain being updated with new information
• Rollout Program to Multiple Audiences
– Under development
– Phased rollout January – July 2011
27
Pork Industry Carbon Footprint Project – Next Steps
• Identify Additional Research Needs
• Identify Education & Outreach Opportunities to
Inform Producers on Existing Known Mitigation
Practices & Technologies
• Develop new Education & Outreach Tools &
Materials
28
Interpretation Phase Is Critical
Greenhouse Gas Emission Example
Based on U.S. EPA GHG Report 2007
&
USDA / Industry Pork Production Data
29
Interpret Data In Like Methods
• U.N. FAO 2006 Report – Livestock’s Long Shadow
– 18% of Global GHG emissions from livestock – more than
entire transportation sector & Infers that this is same case
for U.S.
BUT
• Authors Now Admit Different Scopes of Analysis
Were Used
30
Interpret All Data
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCC) 2008 Technical Report
– Agriculture contributes 10–12 % of total global
anthropogenic GHG emissions ……
– In 2005, regional emissions were highest in South &
Southeast Asia & Latin American countries ……
– Effective means for reducing emissions associated with
conversion of land to agriculture is through intensification
of agriculture, that is, by producing more on land already
in production …….
31
Be Realistic In Evaluation & Expectations
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCC) 2008 Technical Report
– There are limitations to emissions reductions in the
agriculture sector particularly because of the role of the
sector in providing food for a global population that is
expected to continue to grow in the coming decades.
Therefore, it would be reasonable to expect emissions
reductions in terms of improvements in efficiency rather
than absolute reductions in GHG emissions.
32
Focus On What Really Matters
• Base decisions on complete quality assured data
• Focus on U.S. production systems & realities
• Focus on relative risks
– Keep things in perspective
• Focus on the end product
– Livestock & poultry are food animals
33
Keep Things In Perspective
Swine GHG TgCO2e
(Million Metric Tonne)
Total Swine GHG As % of Total US GHG
(2007)
25.0
20.0
Total U.S.
GHG
15.0
10.0
Total
Swine
GHG
0.32%
5.0
0.0
1995
34
2000
2005
2007
Keep Things In Perspective
Efficiency Matters
43.04%
1995-2007
1990-2007
28.23%
15.88%
13.34%
0.03%
0.06%
Increase in % of Total U.S. GHG
Emissions by Swine
35
% Increase In Number of Hogs
Raised Annually
% Increase Pounds of Pork
Produced Annually
Focus on End Product
Pounds CO2e / Hog
Pounds CO2e / Pounds Pork
475.00
2.440
470.00
2.420
465.00
2.400
460.00
2.380
455.00
2.360
450.00
445.00
2.340
440.00
2.320
435.00
2.300
430.00
2.280
425.00
1995
36
2000
2005
2007
1995
2000
2005
2007
Allan Stokes
National Pork Board
1776 NW 114th Street
Clive, Iowa 50325
Email: Astokes@pork.org
Phone:
(515) 223-3447
This message funded by America’s Pork Checkoff Program.