PIC genetics reduce North American pork producers’ greenhouse gas emissions by 7.5%

North American pork producers using PIC genetics now have peer-reviewed, ISO-conformant research to show that genetic improvement efforts are making a quantifiable impact – at a time when protein sustainability has never been more important. 

PIC worked with Dr. Greg Thoma, a global environmental modeling expert, to complete a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studying the impact of pig breeding on the environmental sustainability of North American pig production.1 An LCA analyzes the effect a product has on the environment over its lifetime; in this case, monitoring the environmental impact of live swine production through to slaughter.

GHG reductions with PIC genetics
The North American LCA and a prior European LCA are among the first of their kind to quantify the environmental impact of swine genetic improvement and to receive ISO conformance.

Key LCA findings:

• The North American LCA showed that full program PIC genetics (sire + dam) emit 7.5% less greenhouse gases than industry average.
• Similarly, European LCA results showed full program PIC genetics emit 7.7% less GHGs than industry average.
• In Asia, full program PIC genetics reduced emissions by 10% in China and 10.2% in Japan compared to industry averages.

The results bring the swine industry a step closer to proving that genetics are a reliable pathway to improve land, feed and water use, as well as carbon emissions.