Assessing the multiple resource use associated with pig feed consumption in the European Union

Towards climate neutrality in the Spanish N-fertilizer sector: A study based on radiative forcing

Agricultural systems in the 21st Century face the double challenge of achieving climate neutrality while maintaining food security. Synthetic fertilizers rich in nitrogen (N-fertilizers) boost agricultural production at the expense of increasing climate impact. Public policies, such as the Farm-to-Fork (F2F) Strategy, aim to reduce the extensive use of N-fertilizers with the ultimate goal of achieving a climate neutral European Union (EU). However, the strong link between N-fertilizers and GHG emissions (i.e., CO2, CH4 and, especially, N2O) highlights the need to better understand the climate impact of this sector. The present study conducts a climate impact analysis of Spanish N-fertilizer sector for two periods: (i) from 1960 to 2020 using real data and (ii) from 2021 to 2100 considering five forecasted scenarios. The scenarios range from business-as-usual practices to a full accomplishment of the goals pursued by the EU's F2F strategy. The system's climate stability and neutrality are analysed for the different scenarios based on radiative forcing (RF) metrics. Additionally, the study evaluates the short-term impact of the EU decarbonization goals on the climate impact of the Spanish N-fertilizer sector. The results of the study illustrate that the long-lasting climate impact of N2O and CO2 emissions compromise the capacity of N-fertilizer sector to achieve climate stability and approach climate neutrality. However, the decarbonisation of transport and N-fertilizer production activities is an important driver to substantially reduce the life cycle CH4 and CO2 emissions in the Spanish N-fertilizer sector. The results also highlight that more severe reductions on N-cycles than those suggested by the EU's F2F are required, especially to reduce the long-lasting N2O emissions in the N-fertilizer sector. Overall, the study concludes that using RF-based metrics increases robustness and transparency of climate assessments, which is necessary for a higher integration of climate science within public policymaking.

The ileal, total tract and postileal digestibility of compound feeds either rich in wheat or rye in an ileo-caecal fistulated minipig model

Environmental issues and concerns about animal welfare display current challenges in animal husbandry and feeding. Rye, a cereal that has scarcely been used in animal feed in recent decades, could help address some of the challenges in pig feeding as a climate friendly and health promoting feed ingredient. Distinct constituents of rye - especially its non-starch-polysaccharides (NSP) - are fermented in the large intestine while short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are produced in that process. This can promote gut health and the feeling of satiety in pigs. To examine the site of the digestion of rye within the digestive tract in comparison to wheat as a widely used ingredient in pig diets, two diets with high shares of either wheat or rye (each 69.0%) were fed to ileo-caecally fistulated, adult minipigs. Ileal digesta and faeces were collected and ileal, total tract and postileal digestibility rates were calculated. In the apparent ileal digestibility (AID), significant differences were only found for organic matter (OM) and Nitrogen-free extract (NfE) with lower values for the rye-rich diets (77.2 ± 2.00 vs. 73.8 ± 2.01% and 79.8 ± 2.56 vs. 75.3 ± 2.61%, respectively). These differences could not be recovered for the total tract digestibility (ATTD - 90.2 ± 2.16 vs. 89.8 ± 1.94% and 93.0 ± 1.69 vs. 92.8 ± 1.37%, respectively), resulting in an elevated postileal digestibility which was significant for NfE (13.2 ± 2.42 vs. 17.5 ± 2.77%). Therefore, rye can be used to promote hindgut fill and fermentation in pig feeding, especially in restrictively fed animals such as pregnant sows.

Hotspots and bottlenecks for the enhancement of the environmental sustainability of pig systems, with emphasis on European pig systems

Although pig systems start from a favourable baseline of environmental impact compared to other livestock systems, there is still scope to reduce their emissions and further mitigate associated impacts, especially in relation to nitrogen and phosphorous emissions. Key environmental impact hotspots of pig production systems are activities associated with feed production and manure management, as well as direct emissions (such as methane) from the animals and energy use. A major contributor to the environmental impacts associated with pig feed is the inclusion of soya in pig diets, especially since European pig systems rely heavily on soya imported from areas of the globe where crop production is associated with significant impacts of land use change, deforestation, carbon emissions, and loss of biodiversity. The "finishing" pig production stage contributes most to these environmental impacts, due to the amount of feed consumed, the efficiency with which feed is utilised, and the amount of manure produced during this stage. By definition therefore, any substantial improvements pig system environmental impact would arise from changes in feed production and manure management. In this paper, we consider potential solutions towards system environmental sustainability at these pig system components, as well as the bottlenecks that inhibit their effective implementation at the desired pace and magnitude. Examples include the quest for alternative protein sources to soya, the limits (perceived or real) to the genetic improvement of pigs, and the implementation of alternative manure management strategies, such as production of biogas through anaerobic digestion. The review identifies and discusses areas that future efforts can focus on, to further advance understanding around the potential sustainability benefits of modifications at various pig system components, and key sustainability trade-offs across the environment-economy-society pillars associated with synergistic and antagonistic effects when joint implementation of multiple solutions is considered. In this way, the review opens a discussion to facilitate the development of holistic decision support tools for pig farm management that account for interactions between the "feed * animal * manure" system components and trade-offs between sustainability priorities (e.g., environmental vs economic performance of pig system; welfare improvements vs environmental impacts).

Effects of substituting wheat by rye in diets for young fattening pigs on nutrient digestibility, performance, products of intestinal fermentation, and fecal characteristics

Climate change and increasing demands to reduce the environmental impact of feed production are major challenges for animal nutritionists. Compared to wheat, which is commonly used in high levels in European piglet diets, rye is more efficient in using limited resources, most importantly, water and phosphorus. As a result, its cultivation has a relatively low carbon footprint. The high amounts of non-starch polysaccharides of rye might lead to an increased intestinal fermentation with potential beneficial effects on gut health. However, the high levels of non-starch polysaccharides in rye, which have a major impact on the physico-chemical conditions of the digesta, might affect digestibility and performance especially in young animals. It was therefore of interest to compare the effects of isoenergetic diets with increasing levels of rye as a replacement for wheat fed to young fattening pigs (bodyweight: 16-40 kg). The control diet contained 69% of wheat, while in the other three experimental diets, the amount of wheat was gradually replaced (by a third in each case) with rye. Thus, the experimental diets contained 23, 46, and 69% of rye. A total of 40 young pigs were housed individually in four dietary treatment groups. During a 4 week trial, effects on performance, digestibility, products of intestinal fermentation, and fecal characteristics were evaluated. There were no negative effects on feed intake and gains, even though the feed conversion ratio increased with the highest dietary rye level (69%). Digestibility rates of organic matter and crude protein did not differ significantly. Without affecting the characteristics of the feces, numerically higher amounts of intestinal fermentation products and higher colonic digesta mass were observed.

Estimating the impact on water scarcity due to coffee production, trade, and consumption worldwide and a focus on EU

Coffee consumption is concentrated in the "Global North", while production is mainly located in the "Global South". This trade-driven dependency leads to the exploitation of natural resources. As an export-oriented cash crop, such dependency jeopardizes the existence of a fair distribution of the risks and revenues among all the actors taking part in its globalized supply chain. Coffee trees are mainly rain-fed and only partly irrigated. However, the increasing global coffee demand led to higher consumption of freshwater, which can exacerbate the stressed condition of already stressed water basins. This study quantifies the impact of global coffee consumption on water scarcity, considering the larger system made of producer and consumer countries. The global displacement of such impact is driven by consumer preferences. We found that the US, EU and Asian countries' coffee consumption create impact on water scarcity mostly in African and South American countries, which is also representative of the economic disparities existing behind the global trade flows. Climate change will likely affect the varieties currently preferred by global consumers. Therefore, immediate environmental sustainability actions including water resource preservation are necessary to face current and future challenges.

Utilization of Cooked Cassava and Taro as Alternative Feed in Enhancing Pig Production in Ecuadorian Backyard System

Pork production in Ecuador is of significant economic and nutritional importance. Many of these operations are family- or backyard-based and utilize alternative feed ingredients to reduce production costs. The current study aimed to determine the chemical composition of cooked cassava and taro, and to evaluate their inclusion in the feed of backyard pigs during the growth and fattening phases. A total of 42 castrated pigs from two geographic locations in Ecuador were studied over a period of 100 days, during which their weight and measurements were recorded at three-week intervals. At the end of the experiment, ileum samples were collected from the slaughtered pigs in order to calculate the apparent digestibility of the feed. The crude protein levels of cassava and taro were found to be 3.2% and 2.1%, respectively. The combination of cooked cassava and taro was found to be a suitable replacement for corn, with the best results observed in the group receiving a diet incorporating 21% each of cassava and taro. Analysis of the ileal content also revealed that this group exhibited the highest nitrogen assimilation from the diet.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, working conditions, and related risk factors in the meat processing industry: Comparative analysis of Iran-Poland

BACKGROUND

Activities performed by people in the meat processing industry are very repetitive, time-consuming, dangerous, and require long-term downtime during a shift (forced-static position).

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and working conditions among Polish and Iranian workers to fill this research gap.

METHODS

A comparative analysis of the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in developed and developing countries was conducted. After selecting the target factories, data was collected using Nordic and Mental Stress Questionnaires and 3DSSPP software with the participation of 110 meat processing workers, including 55 Iranian and 55 Polish.

RESULTS

This study showed nearly the same prevalence of MSDs among male Iranian and Polish workers, especially in elbow, wrist/hand, upper back, hip/thigh, and ankle/foot. The overall prevalence of MSDs was relatively high and connected to the lower back (38%, 64%), knee (40%, 24%), neck (24%, 42%), and upper back (24%, 34.5%), among Iranian and Polish workers, respectively. Assessment of logistic regression disclosed that the workplace is considerably associated with the elbow and the ankle/foot musculoskeletal pain, with 2.34 and 3.81 times more likely for the production room, respectively, among Iranian workers.

CONCLUSION

Age, gender, type of occupation, work experience, smoking, insufficient physical activity, workplace, working postures, and stress level all affected the likelihood of MSDs happening in various body regions in both countries, implying that both individual and work-related (both physical and psychosocial) aspects should be taken into consideration when evaluating and managing such complaints in this workforce.

ZnO@Polyvinyl Alcohol/Poly(lactic acid) Nanocomposite Films for the Extended Shelf Life of Pork by Efficient Antibacterial Adhesion

The proliferation of microorganisms is an important reason for meat spoilage and deterioration. Freezing and packaging by polymer films and preservatives are commonly used to preserve meat. While the energy consumption of freezing is very big, the polymer films made by petroleum bring up heavy environmental pressure. In the present study, biodegradable antibacterial ZnO@PLA (ZP) and ZnO@PVA/PLA (ZPP) nanocomposite films used as food packaging have been synthesized by the solvent evaporation method and coating method, respectively. Compared with films without ZnO NPs, ZP and ZPP both had long-term bacteriostasis for 24 and 120 h at temperatures of 25 and 4 °C, respectively. Moreover, the antibacterial effect showed positive relevance with the increase of the ZnO NP concentration. In addition, the antibacterial effect of ZPP was better than that of ZP in the same condition. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the numbers of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on ZP and ZPP were significantly reduced compared to that in the blank film, and ZPP caused the morphology of MRSA to change, which means that the antibacterial mechanism of ZP and ZPP composite films might be related to antibacterial adhesion. In conclusion, ZPP films have great potential to be regarded as the candidate of food packing to extend the shelf life of pork.

China's Trade of Agricultural Products Drives Substantial Greenhouse Gas Emissions

China's trade of agricultural products has expanded rapidly over the past two decades, resulting in considerable shifts in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. This study aims to explore the evolution of GHG emissions embodied in China's trade of agricultural products from 1995 to 2015. The GHG emissions embodied in China's exports of agricultural products experienced three stages of fluctuation, showing a significant upward trend (1995-2003), a fluctuating trend (2004-2007), and a fall back to the previous level (2008-2015). The embodied GHG emissions in China's imports were witnessed at times of sustained growth, rising from 10.5 Mt CO2-eq in 1995 to 107.7 Mt CO2-eq in 2015. The net import of embodied GHG emissions has grown at an average annual rate of 25.1% since 2008. In terms of regional contribution, the distribution of China's trading partners tended to be diversified. The increasing net imports of oil crops to China resulted in a significant GHG emissions shift from China to the US and Brazil. Asian countries contributed to 76.9% of the total GHG emissions embodied in China's agricultural exports. The prominent impacts of China's trade of agricultural products on global GHG emissions provide important implications for climate-related policy choices.

The Threshold Effect of Swine Epidemics on the Pig Supply in China

The pig industry is the pillar industry of animal husbandry in China, and epidemics can lead to drastic changes in pig supply, affecting the healthy development of the pig industry and residents’ quality of life. This study analyzed the mechanism of the effect of swine epidemics on nonlinear shocks to pig supply, and monthly data on pig supply from January 2012 to June 2020 were applied to study the threshold effect of swine epidemics on pig stock and slaughter in China empirically, using the index of swine epidemics’ width (ISEW) as the threshold variable. The results of this study were as follows: (1) The influence of the ISEW over 7 months on pig stock in China was divided into two ranges, and the pig stock did not change significantly when the ISEW was less than 0.25. Swine epidemics had a significantly negative impact on the pig stock when the ISEW was larger than 0.25. (2) The influence of the ISEW over 8 months on pig slaughter was also divided into two ranges. When the ISEW was less than 0.33, epidemics had a positive and significant effect on pig slaughter, while epidemics had a marked negative impact on pig slaughter when the ISEW was greater than 0.33. Based on these conclusions, this study proposed relevant measures for the prevention and control of swine epidemics.

Integration of swine manure anaerobic digestion and digestate nutrients removal/recovery under a circular economy concept

The application of the circular economy concept should utilize the cycles of nature to preserve materials, energy and nutrients for economic use. A full-scale pig farm plant was developed and validated, showing how it is possible to integrate a circular economy concept into a wastewater treatment system capable of recovering energy, nutrients and enabling water reuse. A low-cost swine wastewater treatment system consisting of several treatment modules such as solid-liquid separation, anaerobic digestion, biological nitrogen removal by nitrification/denitrification and physicochemical phosphorus removal and recovery was able to generate 1880.6 ± 1858.5 kWh d^-1 of energy, remove 98.6% of nitrogen and 89.7% of phosphorus present in the swine manure. In addition, it was possible to produce enough fertilizer to fertilize 350 ha per year, considering phosphorus and potassium. In addition, the effluent after the chemical phosphorus removal can be safely used in farm cleaning processes or disposed of in water bodies. Thus, the proposed process has proven to be an environmentally superior swine waste management technology, with a positive impact on water quality and ensuring environmental sustainability in intensive swine production.