Looking for comments: launch of public reviews


23/07/2019

Today the Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) Partnership launched the public review of the FAO LEAP guidelines on biodiversity assessments and on feed additives in livestock supply chains.

The public review starting on 24 July and ending on 24 September 2019 aims to strengthen the consensus built so far and ensure the technical documents meet the needs of those seeking to improve the environmental performance of livestock production through sound assessment practice.

Extension services, consultants, standardization bodies, researches, NGOs, and any other stakeholders across the entire range of feed and livestock production systems is welcome to participate.

The two Technical Advisory Groups concerned will analyze all comments received, will take action whereas appropriate, and will provide a reply for each comment that will be published onto the FAO LEAP website. To find out how to participate in the review process, click here.

 

Guidelines for quantitative biodiversity assessments in the livestock sector

coverIn June 2017, the TAG on biodiversity was formed. The core group included 25 international experts in ecology, biodiversity indicators, agronomy, life cycle assessment, livestock production systems, and environmental science.

The goal of the TAG was to develop guidelines for quantitative assessment of the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity, based on existing indicators and methods.

The document covers the range of positive and negative links between livestock production and biodiversity, adopts a life cycle perspective, and includes multiple possible and spatially dispersed impacts along livestock supply chains, in order to address biodiversity at both the species and ecosystem levels.

It focus on the six main livestock species, such as cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry and buffalos, although the recommended methods, procedure and certain indicators may be relevant to other types of animals, including insects, aquaculture, ducks, reptilians, and amphibians. [public review]

 

Environmental performance of feed additives in livestock supply chains

coverThe feed additive TAG was formed in November 2017 and included 29 experts in animal sciences, crop sciences, soil sciences, life cycle assessment, environmental science, and livestock production systems.

The role of the TAG was to develop a technical guideline for the accounting of environmental impacts associated with the production of feed additives and the effect of the use of feed additives on the environmental impacts of livestock production.

The main purpose of the guideline is to provide a sufficient definition of calculation methods and data requirements on quality and transparency to enable consistent application of LCA across differing livestock supply chains. The guideline allows for comparison of scenarios with and without specific feed additives and combinations thereof, supporting the evaluation of their effect in the given situation. This guideline further supports the applicant in communicating the final aggregated results of the LCA.

These guidelines can be applied to various livestock production systems, including large and small ruminants, poultry, and pigs. [public review]