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Environmental performance in the US broiler poultry sector: Life cycle energy use and greenhouse gas, ozone depleting, acidifying and eutrophying emissions

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  • Pelletier, N.

Abstract

Most published research concerning the environmental impacts of broiler poultry production is limited to assessments of on-farm gaseous and nutrient emissions. Here, ISO-compliant Life Cycle Assessment was used to predict the broader, macroscale environmental impacts of the material and energy inputs and emissions along the US broiler supply chain. It was found that feed provision accounts for 80% of supply chain energy use, 82% of greenhouse gas emissions, 98% of ozone depleting emissions, 96% of acidifying emissions and 97% of eutrophying emissions associated with the cradle-to-farm gate production of broiler poultry. On-farm inputs and emissions, largely related to heating and ventilation contribute on average only 9% of these impacts. These results underscore the fallacy of "landless farming" and the importance of full supply-chain environmental management for improving sustainability in the US poultry industry.

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  • Pelletier, N., 2008. "Environmental performance in the US broiler poultry sector: Life cycle energy use and greenhouse gas, ozone depleting, acidifying and eutrophying emissions," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 67-73, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:98:y:2008:i:2:p:67-73
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    1. Raymond L. Desjardins & Devon E. Worth & Xavier P. C. Vergé & Dominique Maxime & Jim Dyer & Darrel Cerkowniak, 2012. "Carbon Footprint of Beef Cattle," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 4(12), pages 1-23, December.
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    6. Akifumi Ogino & Kazato Oishi & Akira Setoguchi & Takashi Osada, 2021. "Life Cycle Assessment of Sustainable Broiler Production Systems: Effects of Low-Protein Diet and Litter Incineration," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-14, September.
    7. Nigel Key & Gregoire Tallard, 2012. "Mitigating methane emissions from livestock: a global analysis of sectoral policies," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 387-414, May.
    8. Hoffman, Eric & Cavigelli, Michel A. & Camargo, Gustavo & Ryan, Matthew & Ackroyd, Victoria J. & Richard, Tom L. & Mirsky, Steven, 2018. "Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in organic and conventional grain crop production: Accounting for nutrient inflows," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 89-96.
    9. Eva Polyak & Zita Breitenbach & Eszter Frank & Olivia Mate & Maria Figler & Dorottya Zsalig & Klara Simon & Mate Szijarto & Zoltan Szabo, 2023. "Food and Sustainability: Is It a Matter of Choice?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-22, April.
    10. Souhil Harchaoui & Petros Chatzimpiros, 2018. "Energy, Nitrogen, and Farm Surplus Transitions in Agriculture from Historical Data Modeling. France, 1882–2013," Post-Print hal-02999180, HAL.
    11. Pelletier, Nathan & Pirog, Rich & Rasmussen, Rebecca, 2010. "Comparative life cycle environmental impacts of three beef production strategies in the Upper Midwestern United States," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 103(6), pages 380-389, July.
    12. White, Robin R., 2016. "Increasing energy and protein use efficiency improves opportunities to decrease land use, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions from dairy production," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 20-29.
    13. Jhuma Sadhukhan & Tom I. J. Dugmore & Avtar Matharu & Elias Martinez-Hernandez & Jorge Aburto & Pattanathu K. S. M. Rahman & Jim Lynch, 2020. "Perspectives on “Game Changer” Global Challenges for Sustainable 21st Century: Plant-Based Diet, Unavoidable Food Waste Biorefining, and Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-17, March.
    14. Elżbieta Jadwiga Szymańska & Robert Mroczek, 2023. "Energy Intensity of Food Industry Production in Poland in the Process of Energy Transformation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-24, February.
    15. Zifei Liu & Yang Liu, 2018. "Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from animal production," Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 8(4), pages 627-638, August.
    16. Tallentire, C.W. & Mackenzie, S.G. & Kyriazakis, I., 2017. "Environmental impact trade-offs in diet formulation for broiler production systems in the UK and USA," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 145-156.
    17. Yi Liang & Michael Janorschke & Chad E. Hayes, 2022. "Low-Cost Solar Collectors to Pre-Heat Ventilation Air in Broiler Houses," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-9, February.
    18. Foivos Zisis & Elisavet Giamouri & Christina Mitsiopoulou & Christos Christodoulou & Charalampos Kamilaris & Alexandros Mavrommatis & Athanasios C. Pappas & Eleni Tsiplakou, 2023. "An Overview of Poultry Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Mediterranean Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-19, January.
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    20. Mainali, Brijesh & Emran, Saad Been & Silveira, Semida, 2017. "Greenhouse gas mitigation using poultry litter management techniques in Bangladesh," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 155-166.
    21. Payandeh, Z. & Kheiralipour, K. & Karimi, M. & Khoshnevisan, B., 2017. "Joint data envelopment analysis and life cycle assessment for environmental impact reduction in broiler production systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 768-774.
    22. Alejandro Fontana & Ignacio De los Ríos Carmenado & Johan Villanueva-Penedo & José Ulloa-Salazar & Denisse Santander-Peralta, 2018. "Strategy for the Sustainability of a Food Production System for the Prosperity of Low-Income Populations in an Emerging Country: Twenty Years of Experience of the Peruvian Poultry Association," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, November.
    23. Putman, Ben & Thoma, Greg & Burek, Jasmina & Matlock, Marty, 2017. "A retrospective analysis of the United States poultry industry: 1965 compared with 2010," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 107-117.
    24. Pelletier, N. & Lammers, P. & Stender, D. & Pirog, R., 2010. "Life cycle assessment of high- and low-profitability commodity and deep-bedded niche swine production systems in the Upper Midwestern United States," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 103(9), pages 599-608, November.

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