Assessing greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions: A comparison of three egg production systems in Québec, Canada

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In Quebec, the phase-out of the conventional cage (CC) system for egg production, is expected to be completed by 2036, with a transition to alternative systems such as enriched colonies (ECs) and cage-free (CF) housing. This study aimed to assess Greenhouse gas (GHG), and ammoniac (NH3) emissions associated with those systems. The investigation involved one visit per farm to 30 commercial laying hen facilities in Southern Québec, Canada. The findings revealed that the CF system exhibited the highest numerical average of CO2 emissions (3207 ± 2423 mg h-1 hen-1), followed by CCs (2835 ± 877 mg h-1 hen-1) and ECs (2597 ± 949 mg h-1 hen-1). Furthermore, the EC system had the lowest average CH4 emissions (0.93 ± 0.54 mg h-1 hen-1), while CC (1.07 ± 0.41 mg h-1 hen-1) and CF (1.27 ± 1.11 mg h-1 hen-1) facilities had higher values. Emissions of N2O were similar across all three systems (0.04 to 0.05 ± 0.05 mg h-1 hen-1). The study revealed significant differences in NH3 emissions among CC (2.0 ± 1.0 mg h-1 hen-1), EC (2.5 ± 2.0 mg h-1 hen-1), and CF egg production systems (11.2 ± 15.9 mg h-1 hen-1).