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Trends in environmental impacts from the pork industry

65 Pages

Author(s): Stephen Wiedemann, Eugene McGahan, Kalinda Watson, Leo Biggs

The project investigated GHG emissions and resource use per decade between 1980 and 2010 and predicted impacts to 2020 to determine the trend in environmental performance of the Australian Pork Industry.

Key information includes:

  • Improvements in herd and system efficiency has led to improved feed conversion ratio, resulting in lower feed requirements and reduced manure production and reduced GHG emissions from manure.
  • The introduction of deep litter housing and covered ponds in Australian piggeries contributed to reducing environmental impacts.
  • Reduced tillage, higher grain yields and a decrease in the proportion of irrigation water used for grain production improved the efficiency of the feed grain production systems resulting in lower impacts per kilogram of feed grain produced.

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