Assessment of GHG emissions and their variability of meat production systems in Wallonia based on grass and maize

(in lingua inglese)

On average, in order to produce 1 kg live weight (LW), Walloon systems emitted 18.7 kg eq. CO2. The differences between both systems (G and G-M) occurred in feed and mineral fertilizer purchase, in manure emissions and in mineral fertilizer application. There was a large variation in the assessed GHG emissions between and within the two systems but there is no effect of the feeding type (based on grass or grass and maize), this means that the typology used was not adapted to show differences in GHG emissions. The GHG emissions per product unit tended to decrease with production intensity to a certain level of intensification from which the carbon footprint of meat remain steady, more data are needed to identity an optimum between productivity and environment.