Impact of supplementation on the sustainability of beef cattle production

Abstract

The greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and the large amount of land used for beef production is one of the effects of cattle raising on the environment. Intensification alternatives to reduce this harmful action have already been reported, however, no study has been done on the impact of beef cattle supplementation on "environmental gain". Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of beef cattle supplementation on GHG emissions and the amount of area required for meat production, using the life cycle assessment to calculate the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) from the complete production cycle, considering the "Cradle-to-Gate" strategy that allows to evaluate the environmental performance of cattle production, covering from the acquisition of raw material, biological processes of animals and handling of excreta, until the end of the production system with the animal ready for slaughter. The functional unit for GHG emission will be CO2eq/kg of body weight gain and for land use, m²/kg of body weight gain. The coverage area will be the region of Central Brazil, using data in bibliographic review, covering the years 1990 to 2020. When not reported in the works, CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions will be estimated and converted to carbon footprint CO2eq. Land use will be determined based on the area of crop and pasture required for food production, as demanded by the animals. It will be identified among the supplementation strategies in each breeding phase, the most effective in improving the environmental performance of beef cattle. The best strategy for each breeding phase will be used to integrate the breeding, breeding and fattening, obtaining CO2eq for the complete cycle. Monte Carlo analysis and critical analysis will be performed to increase the reliability of the results of this study. (AU)