Efficiency the key to meeting green agenda

The claim comes from leading livestock scientist Dr Duncan Pullar, an architect of the beef and sheep sector’s two environmental road maps.

Dr Pullar, who also works as head of research and development at EBLEX said while it will be tough to meet the recently announced Government targets to reduce emissions by 11 per cent in the next 10 years he felt better understanding of the issues will enable it to succeed.

The remarks were made in Nutrition and Climate Change, a new book looking at the major issues which are currently confronting the meat industry.

In his paper, entitled Meat Production and the Climate Change Agenda, Dr Pullar explains the life cycle analysis work carried out for the road maps to look at the GHG performance of the industry now, and how improvements can be made in the future.

“Improving the feeding efficiency of slaughter stock offers the greatest emissions reduction benefits but can be supported by improvements in health, fertility and longevity of breeding stock,” he said.

“Improvements in productive efficiency throughout the production chain will be important in achieving the targets set. The modelling also reveals that the level of balanced improvements required to deliver the emissions reduction targets are within the bounds of technical possibility – but no one tack will deliver all the change needed.”

Dr Pullar, who is also currently interim sector director for DairyCo, said that for beef production, an achievable five per cent improvement in forage energy density will lead to a 0.31 kg CO2 eq reduction per kg of meat produced (2.2 per cent).

For sheep, a similar improvement in feeding efficiency will see a 4.1 per cent saving in emissions.

He said if this was allied to genetic selection for improved feed efficiency and healthier animals, the greenhouse emission targets were achievable.

The tough new emission reduction targets were published by the Government in its Greenhouse Gas Action Plan for the industry, produced with the help of several farming organisations including the National Farmers Union and Country Land & Business Association.

The plan is a response to a Government target to reduce emissions by three million tonnes of CO2 equivalents between 2018 and 2022, without cutting food production.

BLUETONGUE STATUS TO CHANGE

EURO-MPs have paved the way for the UK to get bluetongue-free status soon.

The government has been reluctant to move the country from its current status as a Low Risk Zone because under existing rules, precautionary vaccination would cease.

The European Parliament has voted to change the rules but farming ministers have to agree to bring the change into force in June. MEP Linda McAvan said she expected the new law to go through.