A 100gm serving of NZ lamb consumed in Britain carries a carbon "cost" equivalent to nearly 2kg of carbon dioxide, new research shows.The "carbon footprint" for NZ lamb eaten in Britain has been estimated as equivalent to 1.9kg of carbon dioxide, for each 100gm serving of lamb - 80 percent of that generated by farmers and their livestock on-farm reports Stuff.
Just 3 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions came from processing, and 5 percent from transport, with the remaining 12 percent down to retailers and consumers.The study by AgResearch and released today by meat companies, is the first published carbon footprint to cover the entire life cycle from farm, through to cooking and eating the meat, and the disposal of waste and sewage.
Meat Industry Association chairman Bill Falconer said today it would be hard to assess how carbon emissions for NZ lamb compared with overseas products, until there was a globally-agreed methodology for "footprinting"."It is hard to assess how NZ's footprint compares," he said. "We're not aware of overseas studies with a comparable scope or level of detail in the methodology." But the industry was confident that low-input and efficient farming, in a temperate climate and using a high proportion of renewable energy meant New Zealand lamb compared favourably in its emissions performance on-farm.
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