May 8, 2008

Poultry is the most "environmentally efficient meat"

A British research shows that poultry meat carries the least environmental burden compared to beef, sheepmeat, eggs and milk.

Researchers from the Cranfield University in Bedfordshire revealed that through carbon footprint poultry production, particularly the conventionally produced chicken (which in Australia represents the overwhelming majority of chicken sold), is the most "environmentally-friendly" meat followed by pork and at considerable distance, sheepmeat and beef.

The efficiency of chicken's conversion of feed into meat has been achieved through traditional breeding over dozens of generations and through better matching of feed to the birds' dietary needs at each stage of their development.

These findings have been generally welcomed by the Australian poultry industry.

Executive Director of the Australian Chicken Meat Federation, Dr Andreas Dubs, says that the concept of "environmental impact is influencing consumer purchasing decisions at the meat counter more and more".

Dr Dubs says British supermarket chain Tesco has anticipated this consumer phenomenon and are piloting a new carbon labeling scheme which tells the number of grams of carbon or equivalent greenhouse gasses emitted as a result of growing, manufacturing, transporting and storing a product - an interesting step in helping the consumer to take responsibility for their own environmental impact.

This approach, he said, has clearly more merit than the arbitrary measure of "food miles" promoted in Europe, since the distance a product has been transported reflects only a small aspect of the overall environmental impact of a food.

Dr Dubs adds that "not only is chicken nutritious, low in fat and the most affordable meat protein it also has genuine environmental benefits over more expensive meats."