Sustainability of Swine Breeding: Future Challenges and Opportunities

The swine sector must address the challenge of climate change, reduce its environmental footprint and ensure sustainable production. In this regard, the availability of quality pork from more sustainable intensive breeding farms provides an opportunity to respond to a renewed awareness of swine breeding among consumers. This chapter analyses, through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis, the environmental impacts generated by the value chain of pork production and, more in detail, the swine farming system in terms of greenhouse gases, ammonia and volatile substances in general emitted from crop production, animal husbandry and manure management. In particular, aspects that affect the environmental performance of the swine system will be examined: genetics, nutrition, crop production, breeding systems, housing, applied technologies and manure management. The best available techniques for heavy and light swine production to reduce this livestock sector’s environmental impact will also be investigated through increased feed conversion efficiency, reduction of losses, waste and inefficient animals with a direct effect on greenhouse gas emissions and volatile substances.