Agricultural industries are under increasing pressure to quantify their environmental impacts and resource usage by government, consumers and the general public. Quantification of greenhouse gas emissions is particularly necessary as a first step to adapting the pork industry to the regulatory requirements of the future. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool for quantifying environmental impacts (i.e. global warming potential) and resource usage (i.e. water usage) throughout the whole pork supply chain.
This RIRDC report is a summary of the research and findings for the first pork LCA project conducted in Australia. The study covers two representative pork supply chains in eastern Australia, located in northern (southern QLD) and southern (southern NSW) regions.