Direct methane and nitrous oxide emissions of South African dairy and beef cattle

Toit, Cjl du; Meissner, H.H.; Niekerk, WA van

doi:10.4314/sajas.v43i3.7

Cited by 45 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The emission intensity of beef from specialized beef herds is almost fourfold that produced from dairy herds (68 vs 18 kg CO 2 -eq/kg of CW) because in specialized beef herds, the main production is meat, and all emissions are allocated to meat, while in dairy herds milk is the primary output and meat the secondary output, thus emissions are shared between the two outputs . The extensive beef management system uses large quantities of forage that increase gas emissions (Du Toit et al, 2013). In addition, the reproduction efficiency of cows in developing countries is low owing to nutrition and management problems, and this affects the emissions negatively.…”

Section: Beef Cattlementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Extensive dairy production systems (i.e. pasture) have the highest emissions, while intensively managed dairy production systems have the lowest (Du Toit et al, 2013;Scholtz et al, 2013c;Knapp et al, 2014). In South Africa, Meissner et al (2013a) found that in 2007 the emission intensity of CH 4 from dairy cows not in milk recording (average production of 4590 kg milk per cow) and in milk recording (average production of 6950 kg milk per cow) were 1.6 and 1.4 CO 2 -eq/kg of milk, respectively.…”

Section: Dairy Cattlementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Methane, nitrous oxide emissions and mitigation strategies for livestock in developing countries: A review

Forabosco¹,

Chitchyan²,

Mantovani³

2017

SA J. An. Sci.

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Methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) are two important greenhouse gases (GHGs) that are emitted into the atmosphere by livestock during the process of enteric fermentation and manure management. Developing countries produce a large quantity of those emissions, caused mainly by inefficient animal rearing systems, feed production and manure management. This paper outlines the CH 4 and N 2 O emitted from livestock in developing countries and the mitigation actions that could be put in place to reduce atmospheric emissions and increase animal productivity. Emission intensity expresses emission (CO 2 equivalents) per unit of product and describes it in relation to the capacity of local animals to produce from local resources. Developing countries are characterized by low production per animal and, consequently, high emission intensity. The emission intensity of dairy cattle in developing countries ranges from 2 to 9 kg CO 2 -eq/kg fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) and in only a few cases is below 2 kg CO 2 -eq/kg FPCM. In sub-Saharan Africa, the average emission intensity is 7.5 kg CO 2 -eq/kg FPCM for dairy cattle, 71 kg CO 2 -eq/kg of carcass weight for beef cattle, 6.9 kg CO 2 -eq/kg FPCM for sheep and goats, and 5 kg CO 2 -eq/kg eggs for chickens. Taking into account the limited economic and technical resources in most developing countries, the application of appropriate mitigation tools is recommended to reduce the emissions of CH 4 and N 2 O gases in the atmosphere. Increasing livestock productivity through selection and feeding is the most effective tool to reduce emission intensity. ______________________________________________________________________________________

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Section: Beef Cattlementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Dairy Cattlementioning

confidence: 99%

Methane, nitrous oxide emissions and mitigation strategies for livestock in developing countries: A review

Forabosco¹,

Chitchyan²,

Mantovani³

2017

SA J. An. Sci.

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“…Therefore the figures in Tables 1 and 2 are the result of statistics provided by the 2010 Abstract of Agricultural Statistics (DAFF, 2010a), DAFF Directorate of Agricultural Statistics Newsletter (DAFF, 2010b) and farmer support bodies (Milk SA, 2011;Mohair SA, 2011;NWGA, 2011a;RPO provincial offices, 2011;SAFA, 2011;SAGRA, 2011;SAPA, 2011;SA Pork, 2011), which were cross-checked with other references, auction sales and slaughter data (Du Toit et al, 2013a;b;c;. The game numbers are from privately owned properties (farms and reserves) and do not include those in government protected areas.…”

Section: Numbers and Distribution Of Livestockmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability of the South African Livestock Sector towards 2050 Part 1: Worth and impact of the sector

Meissner¹,

Scholtz²,

Palmer³

2014

SA J. An. Sci.

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Livestock production in South Africa contributes substantially to food security. It is also a topic of public debate because of lack of knowledge and wrong information. This article aims to provide information on the worth and impact of the livestock sector; information and statistics providing a baseline to guiding sustainability towards 2050. Seventy percent of agricultural land in South Africa can be utilized only by livestock and game and species are found in all provinces with high concentrations in the eastern higher rainfall regions. Statistics in 2010 indicate 13.6 million beef cattle, 1.4 million dairy cattle, 24.6 million sheep, 7.0 million goats, 3 million game species (farmed), 1.1 million pigs, 113 million broilers, 31.8 million layers and 1.6 million ostriches. The gross value of livestock products increased by 185% from 1995/2000 to 2006/2010. In relation to field crops and horticulture, livestock products increased their position from 42% to 47% of gross agricultural value. The main reason was a rise in the value and demand for livestock foods, particularly meat. Livestock foods contribute 27% of the consumer food basket on a weight basis. Consumption of livestock foods resembles that of developing countries with meat consumption being 50 -90 g/capita/day, milk and dairy products 120 -130 g /capita/day and eggs 15 -20 g/capita/day. Since this is the average for the country with consumption by the rich and poor often differing tenfold, consumption of livestock foods by the poor is of concern, given the many health attributes of livestock foods. The livestock sector in South Africa is a major role player in the conservation of biodiversity through a variety of welladapted indigenous and non-indigenous breeds and rare game species. It has also shown commitment to rangeland/ecosystem conservation through conservative stocking rates, with several studies and observations reporting improvement in the condition of the natural resource. The sector has always been a major employer, but employment rate has declined steadily since 2000 because of increased minimum wages, fewer commercial farmers and increased property size. Some 245 000 employees with 1.45 million dependants, in addition to dependants on communal land and emerging farms, are employed on 38 500 commercial farms and intensive units with wages amounting to R 6 100 million (South African rand). Livestock farming is the backbone of the socio-economy and provides the sustenance of most nonmetropolitan towns and rural communities. ________________________________________________________________________________

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“…In 2010, the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) estimated the country's enteric fermentation emissions for 2004 with a Tier 2 approach for dairy and non-dairy cattle [22]. There has been further work post-2005 that estimated emissions from enteric fermentation using country-specific activity data [23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enteric Methane Emissions Estimate for Livestock in South Africa for 1990–2014

2017

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Methane (CH 4 ) from enteric fermentation is one of the main anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in South Africa. Livestock population data from 1990 to 2014 and emission factors were utilized in estimating CH 4 emissions as per the 2006 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) guidelines. CH 4 emissions originating from country-specific emission factors were compared with those calculated using IPCC default emission factors. Trends in emissions were then determined using the Man-Kendall trend test at the 5% significance level. The results showed annual total enteric CH 4 emissions exceeding 1171.56 Gg (in 1995) with an average (1990 to 2014) of 1227.96 Gg. Non-dairy cattle are the highest emitters with an average of 873.07 Gg (71.10%) while sheep are the second highest with 227.61 Gg (18.54%). Other contributors are dairy cattle, goats, horses, pigs and donkeys with an average (percentage contribution) of 85.94 Gg (7.00%), 32.06 Gg (2.61%), 4.86 Gg (0.40%), 2.77 Gg (0.23%) and 1.65 Gg (0.13%), respectively. The trend analysis revealed positive trends for all the livestock categories, except sheep and goats which showed negative trends, consequently balancing out. The results obtained for the year 2014 were 37% higher than the enteric CH 4 emissions in 1990, 1994 and 2000 inventories and the emissions estimated entirely from IPCC default emission factors. This demonstrates the need for the development of Tier 2 emission factors for key category sectors such as cattle and sheep in South Africa. To fully adhere to the principles of GHG inventory accounting, there has to be total livestock inclusivity and major improvements in activity data collection.

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Direct methane and nitrous oxide emissions of South African dairy and beef cattle

Cited by 45 publications

References 17 publications

Methane, nitrous oxide emissions and mitigation strategies for livestock in developing countries: A review

Methane, nitrous oxide emissions and mitigation strategies for livestock in developing countries: A review

Sustainability of the South African Livestock Sector towards 2050 Part 1: Worth and impact of the sector

Enteric Methane Emissions Estimate for Livestock in South Africa for 1990–2014

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