More pork needed from less

Monday, February 20, 2012

Raising pigs in a confinement barn? It's the way to go, says a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and more such livestock operations are necessary in the future, given that a growing world population will require two-thirds more animal protein production by the year 2050.

Still, intense animal production needs to be made "more environmentally benign," according to World Livestock, 2011. The current style of operation is a concern because of its effects on groundwater, pollution of the environment, creation of greenhouse gas emissions, and its potential to act as incubators of disease. New operations must use less water and feed, and recycle agricultural and industrial byproducts as feeds. In short, 40 per cent more pigs must be raised using the same amount of resources as are currently used.

Livestock products supply around 12.9 per cent of calories consumed world-wide according to a 2009 report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2009. Pig meat production is expected to grow to 140.7 million tonnes from 102.3 million, a 37 per cent increase, in the next 38 years. It has already tripled since 1967. International trade in pig meat has grown 750 per cent according to FAO statistics.

The full version of the study can be found at http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2373e/i2373e.pdf  BP