Journal of Animal Breeding and Genomics (J Anim Breed Genom)
Jae-Young Heo1, Seoung-Woo Baek2, Hak-Kyo Lee1*
1Department of Animal Biotechnology, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, 54932, Republic of Korea
2Department of Agricultural Economics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, 54932, Republic of Korea
Correspondence to Hak-Kyo Lee, E-mail: breedlee@jbnu.ac.kr
Volume 6, Number 1, Pages 1-9, March 2022.
Journal of Animal Breeding and Genomics 2022, 6(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.12972/jabng.20220001
Received on February 16, 2022, Revised on March 17, 2022 , Accepted on March 17, 2022 , Published on March 31, 2022.
Copyright © 2022 Korean Society of Animal Breeding and Genetics.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0).
This study compares the carbon-neutral competitiveness of domestic beef with those of major countries in the world and analyzes the contribution of domestic and imported beef to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to suggest the beef self-sufficiency improvement contributes to global carbon neutrality. We used beef GHG emission intensity data by country in 2017 published by FAO. FAO’s emission intensity is a carbon footprint that divides farm-gate GHG emissions by beef production quantity. Comparing the beef carbon footprints of major countries with the global average, their relative beef carbon footprints are the Netherlands 38.4%, the US 46.7%, Korea 54.4%, France 78.8%, Australia 95.9%, Vietnam 100%, Brazil 135.7%, and Ethiopia 554.9%, which presents a 14-fold difference among countries. Based on FAO data, beef carcass weight in Korea has increased by 164% (annual average of 1.8%) and carbon footprint has decreased by 83% (annual average of 3.1%) over the past 60 years, which is interpreted as a result of the improvement of Hanwoo (Korean Native Cattle) which accounts for 85% of the number of slaughtered cattle in Korea. Korea imported 344,000 tons of beef and domestically produced 239,000 tons of beef in 2017, resulting in a self-sufficiency rate of 41%. The average carbon footprint of imported beef is 29% higher than that of domestic beef. On a consumption basis, Korea’s total GHG emissions from domestic and imported beef is 14,089 thousand tons. If imported beef is replaced with domestic beef, 345 thousand tons of global GHG emissions could be reduced by 10% increase of self-sufficiency rate, and assuming 100% self-sufficiency, the global GHG emissions reduction by 2,039 thousand tons. Considering the current level of carbon-neutral competitiveness of domestic beef and the sufficient possibility of improving Hanwoo’s productivity, domestic beef has a potential to replace a significant amount of imported beef to contribute to the global GHG emission reduction. In addition, if the breeding technology is systemically applied to improve the low-carbon trait of Hanwoo, the livestock sector may more quickly arrive at the carbon-neutral goal.
Beef, Hanwoo, Self-sufficiency, Greenhouse gas emissions, Emission intensity
Balehegn, M., Kebreab, E., Tolera, A., Hunt, S., Erickson, P., Crane, T. A., & Adesogan, A. T. 2021. Livestock sustainability research in Africa with a focus on the environment. Animal Frontiers, 11(4): 47-56.
[DOI] [PubMed] [PMC]
Barwick SA, Henzell AL, Herd RM, Walmsley BJ, Arthur PF. Methods and consequences of including reduction in greenhouse gas emission in beef cattle multiple-trait selection. Genetics Selection Evolution 2019;51(1):1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12711-019-0459-5
[DOI][PubMed][PMC]
Caro D, Davis SJ, Bastianoni S, Caldeira K. Global and regional trends in greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. Climatic Change 2014;126(1):203–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-014-1197-x
[DOI]
Caro D, LoPresti A, Davis SJ, Bastianoni S, Caldeira K. CH4 and N2O emissions embodied in international trade of meat. Environ Res Lett 2014;9(11):114005. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/11/114005
[DOI]
Eicke L, Weko S, Apergi M, Marian A. Pulling up the carbon ladder? Decarbonization, dependence, and third-country risks from the European carbon border adjustment mechanism. Energy Res Soc Sci 2021;80:102240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102240
[DOI]
Ericksen PJ, Crane TA. The feasibility of low emissions development interventions for the East African livestock sector: Lessons from Kenya and Ethiopia.
Fader M, Gerten D, Krause M, Lucht W, Cramer W. Spatial decoupling of agricultural production and consumption: quantifying dependences of countries on food imports due to domestic land and water constraints. Environ Res Lett 2013;8(1):014046. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/014046
[DOI]
FAO. World Food and Agriculture–Statistical Yearbook 2020. World Food and Agriculture–Statistical Yearbook. 2020.
FAO. FAO statistical database. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/EI (Accessed 2021.12.21).
Gerber PJ, Steinfeld H, Henderson B, Mottet A, Opio C, Dijkman J, Falcucci A, Tempio G. Tackling climate change through livestock: a global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); 2013.
KAPE. Livestock Products Distribution Report of Korean Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation. 2021.
Kolev G. Carbon Border Adjustment and Other Trade Policy Approaches for Climate Protection. Intereconomics 2021;56(6):310–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10272-021-1007-4
[DOI]
KOSIS. Korea Statistical Information Service. Kosis.kr; 2017.
NIAS. 2021 Livestock Improvement Report of National Institute of Animal Science; 2021.
Peters GP, Minx JC, Weber CL, Edenhofer O. Growth in emission transfers via international trade from 1990 to 2008. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011;108(21):8903–8. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1006388108
[DOI][PubMed][PMC]
Quinton C, Hely F, Amer P, Byrne T, Cromie A. Prediction of effects of beef selection indexes on greenhouse gas emissions. Animal 2018;12(5):889–97. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731117002373
[DOI][PubMed]
Samsonstuen S, Åby BA, Crosson P, Beauchemin KA, Aass L. Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from beef cattle production systems. Acta Agric Scand A Anim Sci 2020;69(4):220–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/09064702.2020.1806349
[DOI]
Sirohi S. Opportunities and challenges for carbon trading from livestock sector. In: Climate Change Impact on Livestock: Adaptation and Mitigation. Springer; 2015. p.239–52. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2265-1_15
[DOI]
Tamiru M, Amza N. Review on the status of dairy cattle production in Ethiopia. J Gene Environ Resour Conserv 2017;5:84–95.
Wall E, Simm G, Moran D. Developing breeding schemes to assist mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Animal 2010;4(3):366–76. https://doi.org/10.1017/S175173110999070X
[DOI][PubMed]
Xu X, Sharma P, Shu S, Lin T-S, Ciais P, Tubiello FN, Smith P, Campbell N, Jain AK. Global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are twice those of plant-based foods. Nat Food 2021;2(9):724–32. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00358-x
[DOI][PubMed]