Intensifying the environmental performance of chicken meat production in China: From perspective of life cycle assessment

Abstract

Existing studies on the environmental impact of chicken meat production, one of the most popular animal protein, present deficiencies in terms of uncertainties, consistency of inventory data and evaluation methods, and regionalization variability. To fill the gaps, this study systematically analyzed the potential environmental burden of chicken meat production in China at the macro level from 2010 to 2019 and propose optimization recommendations for China's chicken meat production. Data was collected from companies on site data and national statistics. Results showed that the potential environmental impacts of chicken meat production dominantly originated from the maize feed production stage (>65%), specifically the soybean meal production and maize cultivation processes. Fossil depletion, water depletion, particulates formation, and global warming were the four noteworthy areas to improve environmental sustainability. The national environmental burden caused by chicken meat production in China has been constantly increasing from 2010 to 2019, with a total increase of 79%. Fujian was the dominant province contributing to the national environmental burden of chicken meat production. Compared with other regions (e.g., Europe), the global standing of China's chicken meat production is comparable. Composting broiler chicken manure is an effective method to improve the environmental performance of chicken meat production by substituting chemical fertilizers in the crops cultivation process. Replacing soybean meal with grain legumes and appropriately reducing the amount of soybean meal to decrease the crude protein content of broiler chicken diets are also environmentally friendly options. Additionally, from an environmental perspective, chicken has more potential for promotion in people's diet than pork and beef.