S. carè et al (CREA)

1. LIFE BEEF CARBON
Demonstration actions to mitigate the carbon
footprint of beef production in France, Ireland,
Italy and Spain
CREA
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics
Sara Carè,
Giacomo Pirlo, Luciano Migliorati
sara.care@crea.gov.it
www.crea.gov.it
COP 23 FIJI UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
Bonn 10 November 2017

2. 7% GHG emissions from Agriculture

3. Italian cows 2016 (ISTAT 2017)
Dairy cows Beef cows
North 1.246.291 145.369
Middle 109.481 46.789
South 465.992 108.173
Italy 1.821.764 300.331
Beef import 2015 (ISMEA 2017)
Live cattle (> 300 kg) (n. animals): 837.303
Carcass (t): 356.893
70% from France

4. Beef cows production in Italy
Suckler cow-calf to
weaning weaners 9-10
months and culled
suckler cows;
bulls/heifer 18 months
and culled suckler cows.
70% of beef
production
Intensive beef fattening system

5. PIEMONTE
583 partners
45 slaughterhouses
http://www.asprocarne.org
VENETO
809 partners
23 feed industries
112 retailers
280 thousand finished animals
http://www.unicarve.it
Italian partners of the project

6. Italian beef farms
Piemonte
Veneto
100 «demonstrative» (production systems: calf to weaning
system producing weaners and culled suckler cows; bulls/heifers
and culled suckler cows; fattening system producing young
bulls/heifers) and 20 «innovative» beef farms.

7. Assessment of GHG emissions
The system boundaries: « cradle to farm gate »
CH4
CO2 e N2O
water, seeds, fertilizers,
fuels
fuels (oil),
cleaning
agent, water,
electricity,
methane,
LPG
CO2
Functional unit: 1 kg live weight gain

8. Assessment of GHG emissions
Environmental categories: global warming,
eutrophication, acidification, water consumption and
contribution of beef farms to rural landscape.

9. List of mitigation strategies identified
alongside Italian farmers
Enteric fermentation: to reduce fiber in the the diet, to increase concentrate to
forage ratio; to utilize lipids or additives reducing CH4 emissions (ionophores,
tannins, yests);
Feeds and management: to improve forage digestibility, phases and precision
feeding to match animal requirements, optimization of intensive grazing;
Animal: to increase animal/herd productivity to reduce animal number
and feed consumption by improving animal welfare and health (health
programs, cleaniness, care);
Manure management: to reduce N in the diet and utilization of essential AA (lysine,
methionine; to reduce length store; frequent removal of manure from the barn, tank
covering, composting, substitution of deeper litter with slatted floor;
Carbon sink: minimum tillage; crop rotation and green manure, turfing,
conversion from temporary to permanent cultivations, trees and hedges;
Energy production and saving: renwable energy production
(photovoltaic pannels), anaerobic digestion.
N fertilization: not to exceed plant requirements, correct application time,
immediate burrial of manure precision farming, slow release fertilizers;

10. The CREA-ZA strategy to implement
the BEEF CARBON ACTION PLAN
 To sensitise and encourage beef producers to improve the
environmental performance of their farms;
 To develop a carbon footprint/environmental impact assessment
methodology that can be used in beef farms shared by France,
Ireland and Spain;
 To identify the most effective mitigation actions for the different
regions and different production systems;
 To promote innovative practices to reduce GHG emissions and
increase carbon sequestration in beef farms;
 To disseminate innovative approaches to breeders to reduce GHG
emissions.

11. sara.care@crea.gov.it