The manager of sustainable development with Manitoba Pork says the global livestock sector is making good on its commitment to reduce its contribution to global warming.
Earlier this month the Paris based International Meat Secretariat reaffirmed its commitment to tackling climate change by focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Mike Teillet, the Manager of Sustainable Development with Manitoba Pork, says while pork production contributes only a small fraction of global green gas production, the industry recognizes it is part of the problem and wants to be part of the solution.
A number of countries have been undertaking activities over the last 10 to 15 years or more to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas production as it relates to livestock. Some of the techniques or initiatives the livestock sector has initiated would be better breeding and health programs. This raises productivity and another way of putting that would be to say that you get more meat per pound of animal so you therefore have less greenhouse gases per animal.
There’s better and more precise feeding techniques so you get less waste of feed and so on so that reduces the amount of greenhouse gases. There’s better manure management practices of course and the encouraging the use of biogas for energy production.
Teillet says Canada western Europe, including Germany, France, Holland and Denmark as well as Australia, Brazil, Columbia, New Zealand and the United States have all undertaken initiatives to reduce greenhouse emissions.
He notes the National Pork Board estimates American pork producers use 78 percent less land, 41 percent less water and release 35 percent less greenhouse gases per pound of pig produced today than 50 years ago and he expects the numbers would be similar in Canada.
