pork industry environmental sustainability program

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. ”

2

Four Pillars of Pork Industry Environmental Sustainability Program

3

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

4

Pork Industry Environmental Sustainability Program - Why

• Doing What’s Right– 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

5


• 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

6


• 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

7


• 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

8

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”

9


• Life Cycle AnalysisA 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

10


Life Cycle Analysis – 4 Phases

Attributes or characteristics of product or process

Environmental effects of product or process

11


• 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

Extractions from environment

Inputs Outputs• An accounting of inputs and outputs

for all stages of a product

13

Life Cycle Analysis Inventry

• Allocation of contribution– Economic allocation

• Feed byproducts• Rendering co-products

– Space allocation• Retail• In-home

14

8.09 MJ

electricity, 1.73

0.519 m3

Natural gas, 1.18

3.95 kg

Corn Feed 1.5

0.904 lfdays

Retail 1.2

1 kg

In Home 1.13

1 kg

Overall 7

2.49 kg

Corn Grain 0.661

1.07 kg

Corn Grain 0.369

0.825 kg

DDGS 0.553

0.0328 kg

N Fertilizer 0.362

2.05 kg

Finish Barn 3.52

0.0927 kg

Sow Barn 0.572

0.922 kg

Deep Pit 1.02

1.54 kg

Processing 0.494

0.000187 kg

Referigerant 0.563

7.49 MJ

Electricity 1.74

0.491 m3

Natural Gas 1.18

1.19 kg

Soybean Meal 0.49

1 kg

Cooking 0.898

Life Cycle Analysis Impact Assessment

Identify ‘hotspots’ for innovation

15

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 100 yr GWPCO2, carbon dioxide 1CH4, methane 25N2O, nitrous oxide 298

Pork Carbon Footprint Project - Who

• Working GroupProvide counsel and input to National Pork Board and contractor(s) in pork carbon footprint initiative process–Pork producers–NPB staff (All Departments)–NPPC –Other stakeholders (Feed & grain, processor & packers, retail)

• Univ. of Arkansas - Applied Sustainability Center–Contract Technical Assistance to National Pork Board

19

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

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.

Summary of EU pork production GWP data: Functional unit = 1kg carcass at farm gate

Swine production LCA - other countries

22

Literature Review - ResultsSwine production LCA - Denmark

Includes Manure Storage

Functional unit = 1 kg pork delivered to the Port of Harwich, Great Britain

Contribution to global warming potential from the different stages of the pork production chain in Denmark (Dalgaard et al., 2007 – used with permission)

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

26

Based on GWP Kg CO2e / 1 kg carcass at farm gate *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 CriticalGreenhouse 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

34

Keep Things In Perspective

35

Focus on End Product

36

This message funded by America’s Pork Checkoff Program.

Allan StokesNational Pork Board

1776 NW 114th StreetClive, Iowa 50325

Email: [email protected]: (515) 223-3447

mailto:[email protected]

pork industry environmental sustainability program

Documents