Environmental Issues + Economic In food production Flashcards
What is the ‘One Health’ approach?
A collaborative effort involving multiple disciplines to achieve optimal health for people, animals, and the environment.
Programs, policies, and research are designed to address public health outcomes by integrating efforts across various sectors (e.g., human, animal, environmental).
Why is the ‘One Health’ approach significant in livestock production?
Helps address zoonoses (e.g., Salmonella).
Promotes better legislation and environmental practices.
Encourages vaccination and environmental enrichment for animal welfare.
Influences human behavior with incentives and penalties.
What are the environmental impacts of livestock production?
Soil: Contamination, structural degradation.
Water: Overuse (70% of freshwater for agriculture), contamination, flooding.
Air: Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) like CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, NH₃.
Energy: High dependence on fossil fuels, disproportionate GHG production.
Biodiversity: Habitat loss, species extinction, monoculture reliance.
What percentage of GHG emissions is attributed to livestock, and what are the specific gases involved?
Livestock contributes 18% of global GHG emissions, including:
9% CO₂
37% CH₄
65% N₂O
64% NH₃
What are the key water-related issues in livestock production?
Agriculture uses 70% of all freshwater withdrawals.
Meat production (especially ruminants) requires the most water per kg.
Nitrate and phosphate leaching causes eutrophication; managed by EU Nitrates Directive and Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs).
How does energy usage in agriculture impact the environment?
Agriculture consumes 2-3% of global energy but produces ~20% of GHGs.
Heavy dependence on fossil fuels, especially for fertilizer production.
Energy use for meat production is significantly higher than for plants.
What are the effects of livestock production on biodiversity?
Land clearance and monocultures reduce species diversity.
Selective breeding increases vulnerability to diseases.
Soil erosion and compaction degrade habitats.
Reliance on monocultures raises pest and disease risks.
How does reduced biodiversity affect human and animal health?
Increases susceptibility to pests and diseases.
Reduces feed and food supply stability.
Promotes the emergence of new pathogens (2/3 are zoonotic).
What is the ‘Green Shed Project,’ and how does it mitigate environmental damage?
A circular system design that captures methane from bedding and animals.
Methane is converted to energy via a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engine.
Bedding is reused in a biodigester for heat or polytunnel warming.
Maintains welfare standards and reduces emissions.
What are revolutionary approaches to sustainable food production?
Cultured meat:
Requires 1% of land and 10% of water compared to traditional beef.
Produces 22% of the GHGs compared to traditional meat.
Microbial protein:
Uses bacteria in bioreactors powered by renewable energy.
CO₂ emissions: 1.5 kg vs. 204 kg per kg of beef.
Energy use: 50 kWh/kg for production.
What measures can reduce the environmental damage caused by farming?
Drip irrigation to improve water efficiency.
Methane mitigation strategies in livestock.
Implementation of legislation (e.g., EU Nitrates Directive).
Evolutionary and revolutionary methods like the Green Shed Project and cultured meat.
What are the environmental impacts of industrialized farming practices?
Pollution of groundwater due to large quantities of manure (e.g., 1 million tonnes/day in the US).
Centralization of production increases disease vulnerability and welfare issues.
Remote management and asymmetrical economic outcomes.
What zoonotic pathogens can be found in manure?
Common pathogens include Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter.
Manure can serve as a reservoir for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
What are the key options for dealing with manure from livestock production?
Spread on your own land.
Process for sale as fertilizer.
Transport offsite for storage under ABP (Animal By-Products) regulations.
How does poultry manure pose specific risks?
Associated with botulism outbreaks in livestock due to contamination.
Resistant to certain management methods.
Requires practices like rodent control, proper storage, and burning (with APHA permits).
