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Reducing the land use of EU pork production: where there’s swill, there’s a way

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  • zu Ermgassen, Erasmus K.H.J.
  • Phalan, Ben
  • Green, Rhys E.
  • Balmford, Andrew

Abstract

Livestock production occupies approximately 75% of agricultural land, consumes 35% of the world’s grain, and produces 14.5% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. With demand for meat and dairy products forecast to increase 60% by 2050, there is a pressing need to reduce the footprint of livestock farming. Food wastes have a long history as a source of environmentally benign animal feed, but their inclusion in feed is currently banned in the EU because of disease control concerns. A number of East Asian states have in the last 20years, however, introduced regulated, centralised systems for safely recycling food wastes into animal feed. This study quantifies the land use savings that could be realised by changing EU legislation to promote the use of food wastes as animal feed and reviews the policy, public, and industry barriers to the use of food waste as feed. Our results suggest that the application of existing technologies could reduce the land use of EU pork (20% of world production) by one fifth, potentially saving 1.8million hectares of agricultural land. While swill presents a low-cost, low-impact animal feed, widespread adoption would require efforts to address consumer and farmer concerns over food safety and disease control.

Suggested Citation

  • zu Ermgassen, Erasmus K.H.J. & Phalan, Ben & Green, Rhys E. & Balmford, Andrew, 2016. "Reducing the land use of EU pork production: where there’s swill, there’s a way," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 35-48.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:58:y:2016:i:c:p:35-48
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2015.11.001
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    2. Danilo Bertoni & Daniele Cavicchioli & Franco Donzelli & Giovanni Ferrazzi & Dario G. Frisio & Roberto Pretolani & Elena Claire Ricci & Vera Ventura, 2018. "Recent Contributions of Agricultural Economics Research in the Field of Sustainable Development," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-20, December.
    3. Marta Castrica & Doriana E. A. Tedesco & Sara Panseri & Giovanni Ferrazzi & Vera Ventura & Dario G. Frisio & Claudia M. Balzaretti, 2018. "Pet Food as the Most Concrete Strategy for Using Food Waste as Feedstuff within the European Context: A Feasibility Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-10, June.
    4. Gerald C. Shurson, 2020. "“What a Waste”—Can We Improve Sustainability of Food Animal Production Systems by Recycling Food Waste Streams into Animal Feed in an Era of Health, Climate, and Economic Crises?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-34, August.
    5. Sanghyo Kim & Sang Hyeon Lee, 2020. "Examining Household Food Waste Behaviors and the Determinants in Korea Using New Questions in a National Household Survey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-24, October.
    6. Ulrich Koester & Jens‐Peter Loy & Yanjun Ren, 2020. "Food Loss and Waste: Some Guidance," EuroChoices, The Agricultural Economics Society, vol. 19(1), pages 17-21, April.
    7. Konstadinos Abeliotis & Christina Chroni & Katia Lasaridi & Evangelos Terzis & Fenia Galliou & Thrassyvoulos Manios, 2022. "Environmental Impact Assessment of a Solar Drying Unit for the Transformation of Food Waste into Animal Feed," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-11, December.
    8. Sasichakorn Wongsaichia & Phaninee Naruetharadhol & Peerapong Wongthahan & Chavis Ketkaew, 2022. "Ideating A Sustainable Swine Feed Prototype: A Qualitative Approach in Farmers’ Pain Point Identification and Product Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-21, March.
    9. Daniel Puente-Rodríguez & Harmen van Laar & Maayke Veraart, 2022. "A Circularity Evaluation of New Feed Categories in The Netherlands—Squaring the Circle: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-27, February.

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