Moving towards net-zero through improving animal health

Livestock systems contribute up to 20% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), making improvements in livestock efficiency essential to achieve net-zero targets. Approximately one-fifth of global animal protein is lost due to disease, partly through reduced growth, lower fertility, and disease induced mortality. Ubiquitous parasites also have direct impacts on GHG emissions. Enhancing animal health presents significant opportunities for reducing emissions, however the GHG mitigation potential of disease control has yet to be quantified.

We aim to review literature on emissions and disease for ruminant and monogastric systems and identify existing data sources for health and emissions. By looking across sectors for the first time, we will reveal commonalities across livestock-systems, and identify barriers to developing a standardised cross-sector approach to quantifying impacts of animal health on emissions. By communicating the importance of animal health in achieving net-zero to industry stakeholders, our efforts will empower behavioural change towards more sustainable and resilient livestock systems.

Project lead: Naomi Fox, SRUC

Project members: Nicola Noble, National Sheep Association; Samantha Green, Applied Group Poultry; Anna Macready, University of Reading