Image Journal articles Reduction in cattle numbers can unlock greenhouse gas mitigation potentials without compromising milk and meat production This article claims that the beef and dairy sector of upper-middle countries demonstrate that it is possible to achieve net reductions in GHG emissions without reducing the production of animal source foods by increasing productivity and reducing herd sizes. However, in low-income countries, production growth is still driven by increases in animal numbers. The article argues that increasing productivity and reducing herd sizes across the world is required to meet the sector's climate targets. Read
Image Journal articles Why digital dairy innovation fails pasture-based systems and how to fix it: A startup-side perspective Drawing on 51 interviews with founders, engineers, product designers, dairy experts/advisors, board members/investors and farmers, the study examines a range of digital tools, including animal health and behaviour monitoring sensors, pasture measurement systems, herd management applications and decision-support applications. It shows how design logics and commercial models can misalign technologies with ecological and organisational realities. Read
Image Journal articles Improving the carbon footprint assessment of milk production Soil organic carbon stock is a key component impacting agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. However, a standardized methodology for integrating SOC stock changes into agricultural life cycle analyses is still debated. This study integrated SOC stock balance into LCA of the carbon footprint of milk production at farm level based on data from a research dairy farm in Helsinki, raising the carbon footprint by 41%. Read
Image Journal articles Reducing meat consumption with consumer insights and the nudge by proxy This paper tests a consumer-centric “nudge by proxy” approach, which indirectly encourages choices that mitigate or obviate external costs by addressing consumers’ internal motivations. It found the importance of addressing two illusions with future research: the “insufficiency illusion” whereby consumers falsely believe meat-free options to be lacking in a key area, and the “availability illusion,” when meat-free options are available but are genuinely lacking. Read
Image Journal articles The carbon hoofprint of cities is shaped by geography and production in the livestock supply chain This study calculated the emissions of beef, pork and chicken eaten in every city and town in the U.S. It found that emissions intensity differ by up to 345%, depending on where the animals were raised and what type of production system. Read
Image Reports Roasting the Planet: Big Meat and Dairy’s Big Emissions This report by NGOs Foodrise, Friends of the Earth U.S., Greenpeace Nordic, and Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy presents the latest global assessment of the meat and dairy industry’s climate impact, estimating the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by 45 of the world’s major meat and dairy processing companies in 2022/23. It found that if they were a country, they would be the world’s ninth highest GHG-emitting nation. Read
Image Resource Changes in meat consumption can improve groundwater quality This study finds substituting 10% of the protein intake from conventional meat sources with meat alternatives can lead to an average reduction of 3.4%, 10.7% and 4.5% in the required nitrogen fertilizer, manure and water footprint, respectively. This substitution could potentially decrease the risk of excess nitrate in groundwater by up to ~20%. Read
Image Explainer Animal welfare and ethics in food and agriculture The role of non-human animals in the food system is more fiercely contested now than ever before. Deep chasms exist between different actors’ visions of the future and their acceptance of the present. What some view as moral outrages, others see as valued traditions, wellsprings of pride and identity, honed crafts, sources of indispensable nutrients, and so much more; intersections with other issues (environmental harms, rural economies, development and poverty) add still further tension. It is a difficult knot to untangle. Reflecting and contributing to these radical differences in positions, stakeholders in these debates work within varied frameworks. For philosophers of animal ethics, these are fundamentally moral questions that must be answered by direct engagement with our value systems. For animal welfare scientists, we can move forward by deepening our empirically-based understanding of other animals’ lives. For farmers, fishers, and others practically engaged in producing animal foods, too little attention is paid to the moral authority gained from daily working alongside other animals and understanding intuitively what is and is not good practice.In this explainer, we explore the paradigms and arguments surrounding animal ethics and animal welfare. We investigate how and why different disciplines frame the debate differently, the range of positions, and whether any areas of agreement might signal pathways to progress. https://www.doi.org/10.56661/f2d8f4c7 Read
