Producing 1kg of beef
results in more CO2 emissions than going for a three-hour drive while leaving
all the lights on at home, scientists said today. A team led by Akifumi Ogino
at the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Tsukuba, Japan,
trawled through data on aspects of beef production including calf raising,
animal management and the effects of producing and transporting feed.
They are calling for an
overhaul of the beef industry, after their audit revealed producing the meat
caused substantial amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Most of
the greenhouse gas emissions are emitted in the form of methane from belching
cattle, but the meat production process also releases fertilising compounds
that can wreak havoc in river and lake ecosystems.
Warming potential
The study, which is
published in today's New Scientist magazine, shows that the production of 1kg
of beef releases greenhouse gases with a warming potential equivalent to 36.4kg
of carbon dioxide. The production process also led to fertilising compounds
equivalent to 340g of sulphur dioxide and 59g of phosphate, and consumed 169
megajoules of energy.
Over two-thirds of the
energy is spent on producing and moving cattle feed. The emissions are
equivalent to the amount of CO2 released by an average car every
The scientists behind the
study are calling for a range of measures to reduce the carbon footprint of the
industry. These include better waste management and reducing the interval
between calving by a month, which the authors say could reduce the
environmental impact by nearly 6%. A Swedish study conducted in 2003 claimed
that raising organic beef on grass rather than feed, reduced greenhouse gas
emissions by 40% and consumed 85% less energy.
(Guardian,
19/07/2007)