Environmental impact of cattle production

It has been suggested that this article be merged into Environmental impacts of animal agriculture. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2024.

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The production of cattle has a significant environmental impact, whether measured in terms of greenhouse gas production, land use, consumption of water, discharge of pollutants, or eutrophication of waterways.

See also: Environmental effects of meat production, Milk § Environmental impact, Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, Beef § Environmental impact, and Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture § Livestock

Mean greenhouse gas emissions for different food types[1] Food Types  | Greenhouse Gas Emissions (g CO2-Ceq per gram protein)

|

Ruminant Meat  |

Recirculating Aquaculture |

Trawling Fishery  |

Non-recirculating Aquaculture |

Pork |

Poultry |

Dairy |

9.1

Non-trawling Fishery |

8.6

Eggs |

6.8

Starchy Roots |

1.7

Wheat |

1.2

Maize |

1.2

Legumes |

0.25

Mean land use of different foods[2] Food Types  | Land Use (m2·year per 100 g protein)

|

Lamb and Mutton |

185

Beef |

164

Cheese |

Pork |

Poultry |

7.1

Eggs |

5.7

Farmed Fish |

3.7

Peanuts |

3.5

Peas |

3.4

Tofu |

2.2

Gut flora in cattle include methanogens that produce methane as a byproduct of enteric fermentation, which cattle belch out. The same volume of atmospheric methane has a 72x higher (over 20 years)[3] global warming potential than atmospheric carbon dioxide.[4][5] Methane belching from cattle can be reduced with genetic selection, immunization against the many methanogens, rumen defaunation (killing the bacteria-killing protozoa),[6] diet modification (e.g. seaweed fortification),[7] decreased antibiotic use,[8] and grazing management, among others.[9][10][11]

A 2013 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) based on 2005 data states that the livestock sector is responsible for 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions, 65% of which is due to cattle.[12] The IPCC estimates that cattle and other livestock emit about 80 to 93 Megatonnes of methane per year,[13] accounting for an estimated 37% of anthropogenic methane emissions,[14] and additional methane is produced by anaerobic fermentation of manure in manure lagoons and other manure storage structures.[15] Another estimate is 12% of global GHG.[16] While cattle fed forage actually produce more methane than grain-fed cattle, the increase may be offset by the increased carbon recapture of pastures, which recapture three times the CO2 of cropland used for grain.[17]

One of the cited changes suggested to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is intensification of the livestock industry,[citation needed] since intensification leads to less land for a given level of production. This assertion is supported by studies of the US beef production system, suggesting practices prevailing in 2007 involved 8.6% less fossil fuel use, 16.3% less greenhouse gas emissions, 12.1% less water use, and 33.0% less land use, per unit mass of beef produced, than those used in 1977.[18] The analysis took into account not only practices in feedlots, but also feed production (with less feed needed in more intensive production systems), forage-based cow-calf operations and back-grounding before cattle enter a feedlot (with more beef produced per head of cattle from those sources, in more intensive systems), and beef from animals derived from the dairy industry. A more controversial suggestion, advocated by George Monbiot in the documentary "Apocalypse Cow", is to stop farming cattle completely, however farmers often have political power so might be able to resist such a big change.[19]

Estimated virtual water requirements for various foods (m³ water/ton)[20] | Hoekstra & Hung

(2003)

| Chapagain & Hoekstra (2003) | Zimmer & Renault

(2003)

| Oki et al. (2003) | Average

|
|
|
|
|

Beef |  | 15,977  | 13,500  | 20,700  | 16,730
Pork |  | 5,906  | 4,600  | 5,900  | 5,470
Cheese |  | 5,288  |  |  | 5,290
Poultry |  | 2,828  | 4,100  | 4,500  | 3,810
Eggs |  | 4,657  | 2,700  | 3,200  | 3,520
Rice | 2,656  |  | 1,400  | 3,600  | 2,550
Soybeans | 2,300  |  | 2,750  | 2,500  | 2,520
Wheat | 1,150  |  | 1,160  | 2,000  | 1,440
Maize | 450  |  | 710  | 1,900  | 1,020
Milk |  | 865  | 790  | 560  | 740
Potatoes | 160  |  | 105  |  | 130

Significant numbers of dairy, as well as beef cattle, are confined in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), defined as "new and existing operations which stable or confine and feed or maintain for a total of 45 days or more in any 12-month period more than the number of animals specified"[21] where "[c]rops, vegetation, forage growth, or post-harvest residues are not sustained in the normal growing season over any portion of the lot or facility."[22] They may be designated as small, medium and large. Such designation of cattle CAFOs is according to cattle type (mature dairy cows, veal calves or other) and cattle numbers, but medium CAFOs are so designated only if they meet certain discharge criteria, and small CAFOs are designated only on a case-by-case basis.[23]

Mean eutrophying emissions (water pollution) of different foods per 100 g of protein[2] Food Types  | Eutrophying Emissions (g PO43-eq per 100 g protein)

|

Beef |

365.3

Farmed Fish |

235.1

Farmed Crustaceans |

227.2

Cheese |

98.4

Lamb and Mutton |

97.1

Pork |

76.4

Poultry |

48.7

Eggs |

21.8

Peanuts |

14.1

Peas |

7.5

Tofu |

6.2

Mean acidifying emissions (air pollution) of different foods per 100 g of protein[2] Food Types  | Acidifying Emissions (g SO2eq per 100 g protein)

|

Beef |

343.6

Cheese |

165.5

Pork |

142.7

Lamb and Mutton |

139.0

Farmed Crustaceans |

133.1

Poultry |

102.4

Farmed Fish |

65.9

Eggs |

53.7

Peanuts |

22.6

Peas |

8.5

Tofu |

6.7

A CAFO that discharges pollutants is required to obtain a permit, which requires a plan to manage nutrient runoff, manure, chemicals, contaminants, and other wastewater pursuant to the US Clean Water Act.[24] The regulations involving CAFO permitting have been extensively litigated.[25]

Commonly, CAFO wastewater and manure nutrients are applied to land at agronomic rates for use by forages or crops, and it is often assumed that various constituents of wastewater and manure, e.g. organic contaminants and pathogens, will be retained, inactivated or degraded on the land with application at such rates; however, additional evidence is needed to test reliability of such assumptions.[26] Concerns raised by opponents of CAFOs have included risks of contaminated water due to feedlot runoff,[27] soil erosion, human and animal exposure to toxic chemicals, development of antibiotic resistant bacteria and an increase in E. coli contamination.[28] While research suggests some of these impacts can be mitigated by developing wastewater treatment systems[27] and planting cover crops in larger setback zones,[29] the Union of Concerned Scientists released a report in 2008 concluding that CAFOs are generally unsustainable and externalize costs.[17]

Another concern is manure, which if not well-managed, can lead to adverse environmental consequences. However, manure also is a valuable source of nutrients and organic matter when used as a fertilizer.[30] Manure was used as a fertilizer on about 6,400,000 hectares (15.8 million acres) of US cropland in 2006, with manure from cattle accounting for nearly 70% of manure applications to soybeans and about 80% or more of manure applications to corn, wheat, barley, oats and sorghum.[31] Substitution of manure for synthetic fertilizers in crop production can be environmentally significant, as between 43 and 88 megajoules of fossil fuel energy would be used per kg of nitrogen in manufacture of synthetic nitrogenous fertilizers.[32]

Grazing by cattle at low intensities can create a favourable environment for native herbs and forbs by mimicking the native grazers who they displaced; in many world regions, though, cattle are reducing biodiversity due to overgrazing.[33] A survey of refuge managers on 123 National Wildlife Refuges in the US tallied 86 species of wildlife considered positively affected and 82 considered negatively affected by refuge cattle grazing or haying.[34] Proper management of pastures, notably managed intensive rotational grazing and grazing at low intensities can lead to less use of fossil fuel energy, increased recapture of carbon dioxide, fewer ammonia emissions into the atmosphere, reduced soil erosion, better air quality, and less water pollution.[17]

## References[edit]

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