First estimate of the carbon footprint of pig production at the farm gate

Technical institutes have drafted a methodological guide called "GES’TIM" for estimating the impact of agriculture on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.The implementation of this method has provided an evaluation of the carbon footprint of French pig breeding (up to the farm gate) at 2.69 ± 0.4 kg CO2eq/kg pig liveweight, by identifying the main emission sources (direct emission of effluents and indirect emissions through food). This work has also revealed sources of inaccuracy in evaluation (through lack of references or because of high uncertainty in available values) and pinpoints the sources that are most sensitive in this respect. Additional work will now be needed to consolidate these references. This need is seen in several current projects, e.g., environmental labelling of consumer items provided for by the National Consensus on the Environment (planned for early 2011) and the carbon tax. The challenge this work must meet is to give the pork industry a set of values representative of the French production context, and that are sensitive to the diversity of pig breeding practice and possible directions for further progress.