Background

The pig sector is the largest contributor to global meat production, accounting for over 37 percent of global meat intake in 2017, followed closely by chicken (35.2 percent) and beef (21.6 percent).The 98 percent of pig-meat production was originated in three regions: Asia 56 percent, Europe 24 percent, and the Americas 18 percent.

Pig production systems vary significantly in response to factors such as socio-economic conditions, people’s expectations, available inputs, markets, and consumption patterns. Different pig production systems can be identified in most countries, from the simplest systems that require minimal investment to large-scale market-oriented enterprises. This diversity means that there is a great variety of production systems with different production intensities and purposes within and among countries.

Pig supply chains are also a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM), pigs represent between 7 and 10 percent of the sector’s emissions. Although these emissions are comparatively low, the scale of the sector and its rate of growth mean that reductions in emission intensity are needed.

Conscious of these challenges, LEAP has developed comprehensive guidelines on the assessment of the environmental performance of pig supply chains. The Environmental performance of pig supply chains: Guidelines for assessment aims to increase understanding of pig supply chains and to help improve their environmental performance. 

About the guidelines

The methodology developed in these guidelines aims to introduce a harmonised international approach to assess the environmental performance of pig supply chains taking into account the specificity of the various production systems involved. The document seeks a pragmatic balance between flexibility and rigorous consistency in terms of scale, geographic location, and project goals.

The main purpose is to provide sufficient definition of calculation methods and data requirements to enable consistent application of life cycle assessment (LCA) across different pig supply chains. Among the various impact categories common in LCA, these guidelines cover climate change in detail, introduce water consumption, and provide a general overview of additional categories. Case studies are used to further illustrate the methodology.

 The guidelines are not intended to stand alone but should be used in conjunction with theLEAP guidelines on animal feeds supply chains and nutrient ­flows. 

Product and production system

These guidelines are relevant for all pig production systems: backyard, intermediate and industrial. They cover the entire supply chain from cradle to primary processing gate. The main products involved are: 

• meat products, with possible co-products of skin, blood, bone and inedible offal;
• breeding operations, piglets and spent sows as co-products;
• manure as a revenue-generating co-product; and
• wealth management.

Intended users

This guidance is relevant to a vast range of livestock stakeholders, including:

• livestock producers who wish to develop inventories of their on-farm resources and assess the performance of their production systems;
• supply-chain partners such as feed producers, farmers, and processors that want to improve their understanding of the environmental performance of products in their production processes; and
• Policymakers interested in developing, accounting, and reporting specifications for livestock supply chains.

Benefits

The benefits of this approach are:

• use of recognized, robust and transparent methodology developed to take account of the nature of pig supply chains;
• identification of supply-chain hotspots and opportunities to improve and reduce environmental impacts;
• identification of opportunities to increase efficiency and productivity;
• ability to benchmark performance internally or against industry standards
• support for reporting and communication; and
• raising awareness of and support for environmental sustainability.

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