Global Food Security (IGFS) at Queen’s University, Belfast, have undertaken new research that indicates a change in feed for pigs has reduced the UK’s pig farming carbon footprint by 40% over the last 20 years.

The EU funded the research and conclusions have been drawn from historic data on English, Scottish and Welsh livestock systems. Due to the data on agricultural inputs being spare, new research methodology was developed called ‘inverted modelling’. This is a complex metrix involving indicators such as:

• What fuel used on the farm?
• How soil is cultivated?
• Style of land management
• Types of animals
• Types of crops

Pig meat is the most widely consumed and produced meat globally and contributes signficantly to several forms of environmental impacts although the research team claimed that the impact per unit is relatively low.

The Global Warming Potential (also known as carbon footprint) reductions of 37% and 35.4% were seen across the pig farming sector for indoor and outdoor-bred pigs respectively.

The role of feed for the animals was found to be central to the environmental impact accounting for between 75-80% of carbon footprint. Increasing the amount of home-grown crops, such as rapeseed and sunflower meal, in place of soya imported from South America was seen to have a signficant mitigating impact on environmental outputs. This has the potential to alter the carbon rating of pig farms and the industry as a whole.

Professor Kyriazakis said, “The reason this research is so signficant is that it shows an area of livestock farming where carbon foodprint has been reducing over the past 20 years, almost under the radar.”

The UK Government has set a target of being carbon neutral  in farming by 2050.

There are plans for research to also be undertaken in Northern Ireland soon.