By Alice McFarlane

Livestock agriculture contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

Dec 3, 2020 | 5:03 PM

MELFORT, Sask. – A University of California Davis professor and air quality specialist said the public needs to recognize the contributions of livestock agriculture to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner discussed livestock’s path to climate neutrality at the final session of the virtual Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium.

He said North America is a role model when it comes to reducing the environmental footprint of livestock production.

“The most pressing need that those countries have in the world that are currently not efficient in producing animal sourced food is food security, but that objective can be met while, at the same time, minimizing the carbon footprint,” Mitloehner said. “By being more efficient in how we produce livestock, we also decrease the environmental footprint.”

Mitloehner said many people do not truly understand the link between efficiencies and emissions. He likes to use an analogy of the fuel efficiency of a car.

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“They will understand a car they drive today is way more fuel efficient than the car their parents or grandparents drove,” he said. “More fuel-efficient cars mean they also drive from A to B like their grandparents’ car did. They use a third or so of the gas to do it and burning less gas means fewer emissions and the same is true for livestock.”

Mitloehner said today’s pigs are three times or more efficient than pigs were 40 to 50 years ago. With a given amount of input, there is more output.

“The same is true for cattle. The same is true for poultry,” he said. “We have a remarkable story to tell and it really is time to tell it.”

Mitloehner said while agriculture and forestry contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, they have the ability to contribute to greenhouse gas reductions, but it is seldom discussed in the media.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter @AliceMcF