How Brazil reduces GHG emissions per kilogram of meat

Due to numerous strategies adopted over the past decades, Brazil has become one of the most relevant players in meat exports. The year 2024 was historic, with the milestone of 2.89 million tons of meat exported to 157 countries (28% of the international market), according to a survey by ApexBrasil.

One of the reasons behind this is food safety standards. Sanitary incidents are uncommon in the sector. In June of this year, for example, Brazil received recognition from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as being a country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, which further expands access to more demanding international markets.

International demands, however, are not limited to this aspect: environmental issues are already prominent among selection and qualification criteria. Within this context is the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, directly related to climate change.

National plan on climate change, Plano Clima, and Brazilian livestock farming

The Plano Clima is an instrument provided for in the National Policy on Climate Change (PNMC) aimed at combating climate change and meeting the GHG reduction targets assumed by Brazil in international agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). On one hand, it focuses on reducing emissions. On the other, it seeks ways to increase the country’s resilience, preparing it for the inevitable impacts of climate change.

To achieve these objectives, sectoral plans are developed that address the specificities of each area of the economy and society. This is the case of Plano ABC+ (Sectoral Plan for Adaptation and Low Carbon Emission in Agriculture), which encourages more sustainable and low-carbon production practices in the sector.

Although often challenging due to the necessary investments, the sustainable practices already adopted show that, in addition to contributing to the national plan and mitigating climate change, they also add significant efficiency gains – highlighting the essence of the concept of sustainability. See below the main solutions adopted to reduce carbon emissions from cattle farming in Brazil.

The success of integration

Also called agro-silvo-pastoral, Crop-Livestock-Forestry Integration (ILPF) combines different production systems in the same area: agricultural, livestock, and forestry, meaning the cultivation of grains and oilseeds, beef or dairy cattle, and the planting of commercial or native species. By uniting these components, the ILPF practice contributes to GHG mitigation, as it enables increased carbon sequestration by trees and soil through their natural photosynthesis process. In other words, trees act as “sponges,” absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in their biomass (trunk, branches, leaves, and roots) in a process known as biomass carbon sequestration.

The carbon balance is also optimized by improving soil organic matter, as continuous vegetation cover allows it to act as a large carbon reservoir. According to a study by WRI Brasil, ILPF “improves the local climate and soil quality,” increasing carbon stocks and reducing extreme weather events. This is an attempt to improve approximately 69 million hectares of degraded land in the country, impacted by previous ecosystem utilization methodologies.

If crop rotation is adopted, the positive effect is even greater. This is because alternating crops prevents soil degradation, maintaining its natural fertility. In this way, the need for synthetic fertilizers, whose production is carbon-intensive, is reduced. This factor also contributes to reducing the release of nitrous oxide into the atmosphere – another type of greenhouse gas – as the application of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers increases the amount of nitrogen available in the soil, which, when not fully absorbed by plants, is released into the atmosphere as nitrous oxide (N₂O).

Furthermore, by producing feed for livestock and food crops on the same land, pressure to use new areas is reduced. For each hectare of integrated production, between two and three hectares of extensive pasture – a land management system where the main objective is to maximize the area used for forage production, keeping human intervention and inputs to a minimum – can be replaced. Additionally, the presence of forest offers shade, wind protection, and thermal relief to cattle.

Due to this set of factors, the ABC+ Program estimates that the implementation of ILPF on 4 million hectares has avoided 18 to 22 million tCO2eq (tons of CO2 equivalent).

Feeding and its role in methane emission reduction

Planta de biogás, simbolizando práticas sustentáveis na produção de energia para reduzir as emissões de carbono e o impacto ambiental.

Foto: Dmitry Naumov/ Shutterstock

Methane (CH4) is another type of greenhouse gas. In livestock farming, it can be emitted by animal waste, when not managed correctly, or through the digestive process.

For the first situation, the use of biodigesters is a solution capable of transforming waste into energy and fertilizer for use on the producing farm itself.

In a circular economy model, producers use the generated methane gas to heat milking water, cook, power generators, or even for the production of biofertilizer for application in crops and pastures, reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers, their financial costs, and environmental impacts.

According to the study “Biodigester in Feedlot Cattle Farming,” published in the journal Aracê, the practice also “offers an opportunity for revenue diversification on the property.” The study presents the pioneering examples of Santa Alice farm in Leópolis/PR and São Domingos farm in Cascavel/PR, whose energy production reaches an average of 1.5 kW per animal per day, demonstrating a significant contribution to the energy self-sufficiency of the properties.

Enteric methane emission, meaning that originating from the animals’ digestive process, has been mitigated through the use of feed additives, also known as methane inhibitors, such as 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP), essential oil mixtures, and tannins, which can be added to feed to inhibit the enzymes that produce methane in the animal’s rumen (part of the stomach).

A study published in the scientific journal Animals shows significant reductions, in some cases, reaching 30% or more, depending on the additive and the production system.

The use of prebiotics and probiotics also comprises mitigation strategies, as do vaccines that are in the development phase, promising a reduction of up to 15% in methane emissions from bovine digestion.

High-quality forages and herd feeding

In integrated systems, corn, soybeans, and other legumes produced on the same properties where cattle are raised are incorporated as concentrates into the herd’s diet. Increasing the proportion of concentrates in the diet replaces part of the pasture’s fiber with non-fibrous carbohydrates (starch and sugars), which alters ruminal fermentation, reducing the proportion of dietary energy converted to methane, as highlighted by Embrapa. Among other effects, this is one of the factors that makes this type of diet a way to minimize enteric methane production.

“Methane losses appear relatively constant for diets containing 30% to 40% concentrate (6% to 7% of gross energy ingested) and then decrease rapidly to low values (2% to 3% of gross energy ingested) for diets containing 80% to 90% concentrate,” states the Embrapa document, referencing different studies on the topic.

Even crop residues (such as straw and harvest remains) can be introduced into the diet, which reduces the need for imported concentrates.

Genetic selection

Genetic selection is another way to increase the efficiency of beef cattle farming, also impacting the reduction of equivalent emissions per kilogram of meat. By favoring genes linked to rapid growth and feed efficiency, animals reach slaughter weight earlier. As this article shows, reducing slaughter age by just 3 months can save more than 19 kg of methane emitted per animal. Furthermore, programs that measure residual methane emissions have already proven that animals selected for rapid growth and feed efficiency produced 30% less methane without losing productive performance.

Emissions decrease, gains increase

At Santa Brígida Farm, located in Ipameri/GO, the implementation of classic ILPF increased productivity tenfold over a ten-year period, from 2.5 to 25 arrobas per hectare per year, in addition to gains in soybean and corn production.

Meanwhile, Triqueda Farm, in Juiz de Fora/MG, which adopts a regenerative livestock system with forest, has offset 27,000 tons of carbon on 400 hectares over 14 years. Economically, the farm has tripled its net revenue, reaching R$1,100/ha/year, well above the national average.

In Alexânia/GO, Santa Bárbara Farm, with its Crop-Livestock Integration (ILP) system – using corn, brachiaria grass, and cattle – saw its return practically double compared to areas that do not use integration. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) in the integrated area was almost double that obtained in the exclusive crop area.

In Santa Rita do Pardo/MS, Santa Vergínia Farm became the first farm in Brazil to receive certification with the Embrapa protocol operating with an integrated system.

Finally, Brasil Farm, in Barra do Garças/MT, achieved a return of R$0.89 per real invested, more than doubling the regional modal farm, which registered a return of R$0.35.

Most cases are publicized in partnership with Rede ILPF, a collaboration between Embrapa, Bradesco, Cocamar, John Deere, Minerva Foods, Soesp, Suzano, Syngenta, and Timac Agro, and they demonstrate how efficiency is a strategic vector of sustainability.

Reference sources:

How Brazil reduces GHG emissions per kilogram of meat

Comprehensive set of techniques allows not only for emission reduction but also improves productivity.

National plan on climate change, Plano Clima, and Brazilian livestock farming

The success of integration

Feeding and its role in methane emission reduction

High-quality forages and herd feeding

Genetic selection

Emissions decrease, gains increase

Rural producer leads era of rapid changes in business

Use of weight-loss pens raises alert for loss of lean mass

Vitamin B2: The body doesn’t produce it, but beef offers it

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