Environmental assessment of two pork supply chains using life cycle assessment

Abstract

Agricultural industries are under increasing pressure to quantify their environmental impacts and resource usage by government, consumers and the general public. Quantification of greenhouse gas emissions is particularly necessary as a first step to adapting the pork industry to the regulatory requirements of the future. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool for quantifying environmental impacts (i.e. global warming potential) and resource usage (i.e. water usage) throughout the whole pork supply chain. This report is a summary of the research and findings for the first pork LCA project conducted in Australia. The study covers two representative pork supply chains in eastern Australia, located in northern (southern QLD) and southern (southern NSW) regions. This project was funded by the RIRDC and Australian Pork Limited, from producer levies matched by Australian Government funds. This report, an addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 1900 research publications, contributes to Australia’s agricultural R&D body of knowledge that underpins continual improvement in the sector. In particular, this project makes significant contribution to our Climate Change and Variability R&D program, which is working with other research and development Corporation’s to develop an agreed methodology to undertake life cycle assessments for energy, greenhouse emissions and water use and assess the energy efficiency of Australian agricultural systems.