Technology roadmap: Cattle farming sustainability in Germany

Abstract

Cattle farming is one of the most environmentally threatening industries worldwide. Its impact has been assessed as a main driver for soil degradation, deforestation, water bed contamination, and greenhouse gas emissions. Germany is one of the largest consumers and producers of livestock products in the world. This high volume demand for livestock forces farmers and consumers to import from overseas and increase national yields. Technologies worldwide are being developed with a focus on sustainability and cleaner production; however, this may not necessarily be easily adapted and implemented by German farmers. This paper uses the technology roadmap approach to propose a plan for implementing these technologies by identifying the barriers and actions to remove them. Aquaponics, grazing management, and capturing methane are current global trends used in the effort to reduce the impact of livestock. While aquaponics are at an early stage of development and implementation in Germany, grazing management techniques and methane processing on free range cattle are mostly still unknown and not implemented by farmers producing in the country.