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Greenhouse gas emissions from the Canadian beef industry

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  • Vergé, X.P.C.
  • Dyer, J.A.
  • Desjardins, R.L.
  • Worth, D.

Abstract

Commodity-specific estimates of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Canadian agriculture are required in order to identify the most efficient GHG mitigation measures. In this paper, the methodology from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for estimating bovine GHG emissions, for census years from 1981 to 2001, was applied to the Canadian beef industry. This analysis, which is based on several adaptations of IPCC methodology already done for the Canadian dairy industry, includes the concept of a beef crop complex, the land base that feeds the beef population, and the use of recommendations for livestock feed rations and fertilizer application rates to down-scale the national area totals of each crop, regardless of the use of that crop, to the feed requirements of the Canada's beef population. It shows how high energy feeds are reducing enteric methane emissions by displacing high roughage diets. It also calculates an emissions intensity indicator based on the total weight of live beef cattle destined for market. While total GHG from Canadian beef production have increased from 25 to 32 Tg of CO2 equiv. between 1981 and 2001, this increase was mainly driven by expansion of the Canadian cattle industry. The emission intensity indicator showed that between 1981 and 2001, the Canadian beef industry GHG emissions per kg of live animal weight produced for market decreased from 16.4 to 10.4 kg of CO2 equiv.

Suggested Citation

  • Vergé, X.P.C. & Dyer, J.A. & Desjardins, R.L. & Worth, D., 2008. "Greenhouse gas emissions from the Canadian beef industry," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 126-134, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:98:y:2008:i:2:p:126-134
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    2. Raymond L. Desjardins & Devon E. Worth & Xavier P. C. Vergé & Dominique Maxime & Jim Dyer & Darrel Cerkowniak, 2012. "Carbon Footprint of Beef Cattle," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 4(12), pages 1-23, December.
    3. Nijdam, Durk & Rood, Trudy & Westhoek, Henk, 2012. "The price of protein: Review of land use and carbon footprints from life cycle assessments of animal food products and their substitutes," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 760-770.
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    6. Derek H. Lynch & Rod MacRae & Ralph C. Martin, 2011. "The Carbon and Global Warming Potential Impacts of Organic Farming: Does It Have a Significant Role in an Energy Constrained World?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-41, January.
    7. Beauchemin, Karen A. & Henry Janzen, H. & Little, Shannan M. & McAllister, Tim A. & McGinn, Sean M., 2010. "Life cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from beef production in western Canada: A case study," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 103(6), pages 371-379, July.
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    10. James A. Dyer & Raymond L. Desjardins & Devon E. Worth & Xavier P.C. Vergé, 2020. "Potential Role for Consumers to Reduce Canadian Agricultural GHG Emissions by Diversifying Animal Protein Sources," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-15, July.
    11. Dyer, James A & Verge, Xavier P. C. & Desjardins, Raymond L. & Worth, Devon E., 2014. "A Comparison of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions From the Sheep Industry With Beef Production in Canada," Sustainable Agriculture Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 3(3).
    12. Pereira, Carolina H. & Patino, Harold O. & Hoshide, Aaron K. & Abreu, Daniel C. & Alan Rotz, C. & Nabinger, Carlos, 2018. "Grazing supplementation and crop diversification benefits for southern Brazil beef: A case study," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1-9.
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    14. Schaufele, Brandon, 2019. "Demand Shocks Change the Excess Burden From Carbon Taxes," MPRA Paper 92132, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    18. Bradley G. Ridoutt & Peerasak Sanguansri & Gregory S. Harper, 2011. "Comparing Carbon and Water Footprints for Beef Cattle Production in Southern Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 3(12), pages 1-13, December.
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