Leading global pig genetics company PIC has highlighted how improve genetics can deliver a major contribution to making pork production more sustainable.
As pressure mounts for Europe to improve sustainability in agriculture, PIC said it has ‘rigorously validated that its genetics are a credible pathway to achieving environmental goals’.
It worked with global environmental modeling expert Dr Greg Thoma to complete a composite Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in Europe, which confirmed that a ‘full programme PIC pig’ (sire + dam) delivers a 7.7% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to the industry average.
It showed that continued genetic improvement will lead to an additional reduction of 0.66% per year. The LCA received ISO Conformance (standards 14040, 14044, and 14067), further validating its findings and the potential of Genetic Carbon – greenhouse gas emissions mitigated by genetic improvement, according to PIC, which intends to submit the study for peer review.
“This LCA is among the first studies to quantify the specific contribution of genetic breeding programs on the sustainability metrics of the European pork supply chain and illustrates the positive impact genetics can have on land, feed and water usage and carbon emissions,” said Dr Thoma.
“We’ve performed this study with the highest rigor, utilising years’ of production data across multiple countries from a large number of sows in diverse environments to ensure the study conclusions are credible and defensible. The methodology used can be extended to quantify genetic contributions in other livestock and crop systems.”
Genetic opportunity
A 2023 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) report identified improved genetics as the number one opportunity for sustainably increasing productivity and decreasing GHG emissions in the livestock sector.
“Genetics have historically been underutilized as a tool for reducing emissions. At a time when agriculture is under pressure to meet ambitious GHG reduction targets, we need to identify solutions that are supported by data,” said Banks Baker, global director of product sustainability at PIC.
“When it comes to animal agriculture, one of the most important things that can be done to improve sustainability is to choose the right animal, one that is healthy, robust and efficient.”
The genetics industry believes the environmental benefits of these genetic improvements extend beyond the farm and create shared value across the pork supply chain, consumers and society.
“European animal breeders have a long history of innovating to increase all the pillars of sustainability in their operations,” said Ana Granados Chapatte, Director of the European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders.
“LCA exercises made by our members, like this one, quantify this much-needed opportunity and prove that genetics are a critical tool in making agriculture more sustainable from an environmental perspective.”
Next step
PIC’s next step is to put the LCA results to action to prove genetics can be claimed as emissions reductions for stakeholders throughout the supply chain across different countries and regions.
It conducted an LCA in North America, which yielded similar results, showing PIC genetics offer a 7.5% reduction in GHG emissions compared to the industry average.
PIC and the US National Pork Board have now partnered to develop a carbon claiming framework and a forthcoming pilot. The framework creates an opportunity for US producers to generate environmental value and potentially tap into additional revenue streams by participating in voluntary carbon markets.
It also aims to empowers meat packers and processors, CPGs and food retailers with pork in their supply chains to measure and claim Genetic Carbon reductions as progress toward their climate commitments.
“We look forward to replicating and tailoring the framework and pilots within Europe, and we welcome members of the full pork value chain who are interested in claiming GHG reductions through genetics to join us,” said Mr Baker.