Environmental Sustainability of Livestock Systems

Abstract

Sustainability of livestock systems encompasses social, economic, and environmental concerns. Environmental sustainability issues surrounding livestock production include greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and water quality. Mitigating negative environmental contributions and enhancing positive contributions from livestock production is critical for the long-term viability of the industry. While livestock production can impact the environment, livestock can in turn be affected by environmental conditions. Climate change poses unique challenges for livestock production in the future via impacts on feed availability, quality, and potential for increased thermal stress on livestock themselves. In aggregate, livestock production must adapt to both societal expectations and climatic conditions in the future, which will require both technical solutions and viable socioeconomic drivers to encourage implementation of solutions.