Dr. Holger Hintelmann, Trent University’s vice president of Research and Innovation, said the Trent Farm Research Centre and Lightbody Drive Shed is a crucial initial step in evolving Trent University’s 36-acre farm expansion into a dynamic space “for research, education, and community collaboration .”

Why it matters: Established in 2014, the expansion of Trent Farm enhances long-term research applications that support food production and provide hands-on experiential learning.

“Faculty from many disciplines are working here alongside projects that explore things like soil remediation, fertilizer innovation, carbon capture and local weather monitoring,” said Hintelmann. “Students are gaining real first-hand experience, literally field experience, designing experiments supporting indigenous food security and contributing to more inclusive and resilient food systems.”

Dr. Karen Thompson, the Centre’s director and associate professor at Trent School of the Environment, said that as a living lab, the farm focuses on adaptive management and agriculture in response to changing weather patterns, climate, policies, and evolving resource demand and supply.

The school is collaborating with V6 Agronomy, Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to explore Canadian-sourced alternative nutrient solutions that support crop productivity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“We have a number of different projects centred on the idea of soil carbon sequestration, so looking at how we can get carbon into the soil and keep it there, both through the use of regenerative practices,” she said. “We are also supporting a project looking at enhanced rock weathering this year.”

The project focuses on rock weathering Wollastonite, a calcium- and magnesium-rich silicate mineral, as a soil amendment to sequester CO2 and improve fertility and nutrient availability, ultimately leading to higher yields in partnership with OSCIA and NSERC.

The Canadian agri-food sector is negotiating a generational shift, where many farmers are retiring without succession options, let alone a plan, explained Thompson.

“It’s really vital to try and equip the next generation,” she said. “Many of whom are first-generation practitioners and farmers, with the knowledge and skills that they need to confidently step into roles related to agricultural production, crop advising, agri-tech and research, as well as, obviously, environmental stewardship.”

Alumni support was integral in making the drive shed and research centre building a reality, as well as providing much-needed support, such as a new well with help from Karen Wickerson and a tractor from Philip White.

The Lightbody Drive Shed, which provides essential workshops, storage and fieldwork space for faculty, students and community collaborators, was named after the late Bob and Margie Lighbody, graduates of Trent’s founding class of 1964. The Lightbodys remained strong advocates and supporters of the school, and after retiring from the city to become “gentlemen farmers,” they learned about agriculture as they went along. Their legacy gift supported the development of the farm space and the signage, which integrates their farm’s barnboard, symbolizing agriculture’s deep ties to the past while striding into the future.

“This new facility builds on more than a decade of research and hands-on learning in sustainable agriculture at Trent,” said Dr. Cathy Bruce, president and vice-chancellor of Trent University. “We are entering a new phase in sustainability research and innovation – positioning Trent to lead in adaptive agriculture practices, soil science, and new carbon capture techniques.”

The post Trent University Farm Research Centre expands agriculture research and training capacity appeared first on Farmtario.

Demands around the world to restrict greenhouse gas and nutrient emissions from all forms of livestock mean feed formulators need to ensure that animals are efficiently pulling all they can out of both macro and micro-nutrients to reduce the amount of harmful substances that end up in the air, water and soil.

“They look at livestock and see pollution,” said Melissa Dumont, executive director of the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada, summing up widely held public and government attitudes toward agriculture.

Those attitudes result in both scrutiny of and demands upon the feed industry that are relentless and sometimes wrongheaded, some researchers and scientists said.

“The pressure on us … is absolutely immense,” said British feed scientist Emily Burton of Nottingham Trent University.

“It’s the assumptions that annoy me most as a nutritionist.”

Within the livestock and feed industries there is much pride over the ever-increasing efficiency of meat production, with per-kilogram greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impact significantly falling over time.

For example, the U.S. hog industry claims it now has an eight per cent smaller environmental impact, uses 75 per cent less land, consumes 25 per cent less water and runs on seven per cent less energy than 50 years ago, despite producing much more meat.

Each healthy pig or steer today now produces more pounds of gain with fewer emissions than ever before, while preserving grasslands and consuming materials that would otherwise be waste.

However, millions of people around the planet believe livestock production is a primary cause of climate change, water pollution and soil degradation.

While some have pushed back against what they consider misperceptions of net livestock emissions, virtually all feed companies and researchers now include “sustainability” as a key metric when considering advances and characteristics they are trying to build into feed sources and practices.

Before the official opening of the main ANCC sessions, a full morning was dedicated to researchers who are focused on boosting livestock sustainability with better feeding.

Getting to “net-zero livestock production” and turning pledges into concrete sustainability results for pig and dairy cattle producers were the lead-off sessions for the symposium, which drew more than 400 attendees.

American and Dutch experts challenged the feed industry to take more seriously micro-nutrient impact, efficiency and waste, which they said is generally ignored.

“Most of us don’t (pay attention to micronutrient impacts),” said Terry Engle of Colorado State University.

There’s great stress on researchers to improve livestock sustainability, but fortunately for the industry, it appears there is a stream of young researchers keen to get into the industry. Dozens of graduate students from across Canada, many from non-Canadian backgrounds, attended the conference.

The student researcher presentations, both in posters and from the stage, were popular with more seasoned researchers, and the conference sprinkled student participation through the event.

One organization making its appearance at the conference was African Youth in Canadian Agriculture, which is a new national organization attempting to connect African students in Canadian high schools and universities to opportunities in agriculture, which most young urban people are unaware of and have no clue of how to access.

An example of how African-origin researchers are finding places in Canada’s feed industry was seen in University of Saskatchewan graduate student and researcher Roseline Ogory, who presented her work in incorporating Ahliflower seed and cake in chicken diets to produce better omega 3 content in eggs.

The notion that there are still radical gains to be made in livestock feeding efficiency ran through the conference. Micronutrients are not the only element of livestock feeding that is likely being supplied inefficiently and possibly counterproductively. University of Saskatchewan swine nutrition scientist Dan Columbus highlighted the relative lack of study on sow nutritional needs and the crude manner in which sow diets are supplied, mostly ignoring the cyclical needs of the animal.

Engle, an expert in copper, acknowledged his favourite element befuddles him, despite decades of study.

“I love copper, but it confuses me,” said Engle.

Researchers feel much pressure to feed animals more sustainably, but many also feel optimism that feeding sustainability and efficiency have major gains waiting to be discovered.

That tension between demands for sustainability and optimism about sustainability dominated the conference.

The post Sustainability demands pressure livestock feed industry appeared first on Farmtario.

Attorney General Letitia James said JBS USA Food Co, the Brazilian company’s American-based unit, has “no viable plan” to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, making its stated commitment to achieving that goal false and misleading.

James said JBS has admitted its “Net Zero by 2040” commitment did not incorporate the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain, including from deforestation in the Amazon.

She also said reaching the goal was “infeasible” given JBS’ plan to increase production and therefore its carbon footprint, on top of greenhouse gas emissions that had by 2021 exceeded those of the entire country of Ireland.

“Families [are] willing to spend more of their hard-earned money on products from brands that are better for the environment,” James said in a statement. “JBS USA’s greenwashing exploits the pocketbooks of everyday Americans and the promise of a healthy planet for future generations.”

The lawsuit filed in a New York state court in Manhattan seeks a $5,000 civil fine per violation of state business laws, and to recoup ill-gotten gains from false sustainability claims.

JBS’s businesses include Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, one of the largest U.S. chicken producers.

In a statement, JBS said it disagreed with the lawsuit. It also pledged to continue partnering with farmers, ranchers and others toward a “more sustainable future for agriculture” that uses fewer resources and reduces its environmental impact.

The company generated about $53.5 billion of revenue in the first nine months of 2023, about 59 per cent of which came from North America and Central America.

JBS shares trade in Brazil. The company has been seeking to list its shares in the United States.

The post New York sues meatpacking giant JBS over climate claims appeared first on Farmtario.

Bovaer neutralizes methane in the rumen. When microbes in the rumen break down feed, hydrogen and carbon dioxide are released. These two gases are combine in the presence of an enyzme. Bovaer works by suppressing the enzyme, reducing the amount of methane that is created.

Dsm-firmenich, the Dutch company selling the product says it could be available in Canada within a few weeks.

The feed additive will be a tool for farmers to reduce methane emissions for cattle, but Canadian research has also shown a small increase in feed efficiency and no change in cattle growth rate.

“This will benefit Canadian farmers, efforts of the sector, and support Canada in delivering on its international emissions reduction commitments such as the Global Methane Pledge,” says Mark van Nieuwland, vice-president of Bovaer.

Canadian cattle feeders can reduce methane emissions by an average of 45 per cent by using the ingredient, says the company.

In the case of dairy cows, Bovaer can “reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent on average, potentially lowering the overall greenhouse gas footprint per liter of milk by 10 to 15 per cent.”

A trial run in large trial run in Alberta provided Canadian data to support the approval of Bovaer.

“In 2020, dsm-firmenich successfully completed the longest and largest trial with Bovaer,” said van Nieuwland. “(It was) a two-year trial with 15,000 beef cattle in Alberta and supported by ERA (Emission Reduction Alberta), which demonstrated methane reductions of up to 82 per cent, resulting in savings of 1,473 tons of CO2e during this study alone.”

The company says that once the product is included as a tool in programs such as the Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions (REME) protocol for beef cattle and the Alberta Fed Cattle protocol, cattle feeders will also be able to generate carbon offsets from its use. The authorization comes on the heels of the CFIA approval of 3-Nitrooxypropanol (3NOP) — the active ingredient in Bovaer — earlier this week.

“We are very pleased to see the regulatory pathway open for innovative feed ingredients that reduce methane emissions which will contribute to our sector meeting its 2030 emissions goal,” says Nathan Phinney, Canadian Cattle Association president.

“We applaud the CFIA for their diligence on this file to ensure this new tool is available, which will allow Canadian beef producers to remain competitive globally.”

According to the CCA/National Cattle Feeders’ Association release, 3NOP has shown no negative impacts on the rumen microbial population when fed to cattle.

The Canadian beef industry has set a goal to reduce primary production greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity by 33 per cent by 2030. Dairy Farmers of Canada has a goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

Karen Beauchemin, retired Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) research scientist, was a key player in the Canadian research.

“I think beef producers are interested in doing their part, but just focusing on enteric methane emissions is not going to get Canada where it needs to be by 2030,” said Beauchemin, in a 2022 interview with Canadian Cattlemen. She worked with AAFC’s Lethbridge research station.

Enteric methane emissions from cattle contribute 3.3 per cent of Canada’s total GHG emissions.

“One thing I find with consumers is they have a real misconception about how much enteric methane from animals contributes to our national greenhouse gas budget,” said Beauchemin in the article.

The product has been approved in more than 50 countries in the world, but as of early 2024, not yet in the United States.

—Jeff Melchior writes for the Alberta Farmer Express. 

–updated Feb. 1 to add additional details, context.

The post First-of-its-kind cattle methane limiter approved for Canada appeared first on Farmtario.

“By joining the Efficient Fertilizer Consortium, we’re helping ensure that our farmers and producers are well-equipped to make informed decisions that are good for the environment and their bottom line,” said federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay in a news release. 

The Efficient Fertilizer Consortium is an initiative of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), a group established by the U.S. in 2014. FFAR a public-private partnership that funds food and agriculture research, as per its website. 

The Efficient Fertilizer Consortium was first announced in late 2022 with plans to fund “applied research that accelerates development and wider adoption of novel fertilizers that increase nutrient-use efficiency and reduce direct emissions of nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases from fertilizers,” said a FFAR news release. 

Canada joins with a commitment of about $1.3 million over four years, the Canadian government said in a Jan. 31 news release.  

This gives Canada the chance to influence the direction of consortium’s research and strategy, it added.  

The Canadian government plans to work with scientists, fertilizer companies and other stakeholders to conduct research and “ensure its relevance to Canadian agriculture,” the news release said. 

The news released tied the decision to the government’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer by 30 per cent below 2020 levels by 2030—goals which have caused outcry among farmers and agricultural groups due to fears that fertilizer use would be restricted.  Nitrous oxide, which nitrogen fertilizer can emit, is a particularly potent greenhouse gas.  

The post Canada pledges funds for efficient fertilizer research appeared first on Farmtario.

“It’s exciting to see the 15 per cent reduction in GHG emissions intensity, which puts us on track to achieve the 33 per cent reduction 2030 goal that the industry has set,” wrote Ryan Beierbach, chair of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB).

The roundtable published the report in the third week of January and pointed to increased efficiencies in the beef sector, which they say played into the improved numbers. The assessment reflects three years of scientific analysis highlighting the Canadian beef sector’s progress between 2014 and 2021. Factors included in the study spanned GHG emissions, biodiversity, carbon storage, human health and safety, animal care, economic contributions and more.

The study also pointed to areas the sector could still improve.

“We look forward to further collaborations and innovations to make a positive impact and meet our goals for the Canadian beef industry’s social, economic and environmental performance,” Beierbach said.

The report also reveals that land used for beef cattle production is estimated to store 1.9 billion tonnes of soil organic carbon, or 40 per cent of total soil carbon across the country’s ag landscape.

According to the CRSB, this is equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from over two billion cars.

“This report on the Canadian beef industry’s advancements in sustainability is an important tool to track the sector’s progress towards its 2030 goals,” wrote federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay in a news release.

“We can all be proud of the industry’s commitment to taking action to reduce their environmental footprint without compromising their high standards and commitment to quality they’re known for.”

The report also noted that beef land provides the majority of habitat wildlife needs for both reproduction (74 per cent) and feeding (55 per cent) when all of Canada’s crop and pastureland is considered. Despite an overall loss of wildlife habitat on Canada’s pasture and cropland, beef’s share in the remaining habitat land has increased.

The report “highlights the important role that beef production plays for preserving critical wildlife habitat and Canada’s grasslands,” wrote Brad Downey, chair of the CRSB’s scientific advisory committee.

“This report also enables transparency of the beef industry to the public and confirms significant progress based on sound data that sets the stage for meeting many of the Canadian beef industry’s 2030 goals through purposeful, science-based actions.”

—Jeff Melchior is a reporter with the Alberta Farmer Express.

The post Beef marks GHG drop: report  appeared first on Farmtario.

The OFCAF provides cost-share funding to farmers to support the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) that tackle climate change through reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and supporting increased carbon sequestration.

Steve Sickle, Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) president said in a release that farmer demand for the funding was strong. He said the funding is supporting projects by farmers who want to invest in soil health to improve long-term productivity, profitability and sustainability.

OSCIA received over 2,700 applications to the OFCAF. Funding was available to farmers under the categories of nitrogen management, cover cropping and rotational grazing, and supports those activities when they are new to the acres they were practiced on.

Projects focused on nitrogen management, including nitrogen management planning, equipment for improved application and the use of urease and nitrification inhibitors, have been implemented on over 86,000 acres. Projects to plant cover crops and intercrop have been implemented on over 50,000 acres, and intensive, short duration rotational grazing projects represent over 5,500 acres. The implementation of on-farm projects will continue through 2023.

Since peer-to-peer learning and access to expert advice play a key role in farmers’ long-term adoption of new practices, the OFCAF pairs cost-share support with participation in Knowledge Sharing Events (KSEs). All successful applicants attend a KSE, such as a field demonstration, workshop or conference seminar specific to addressing climate change challenges.

Since 2022, in-person and online KSEs have been hosted by over 30 different agricultural organizations, including OSCIA.

These events will continue throughout 2023 to enable knowledge sharing beyond farmers that received direct program funding.   

In Ontario, the OFCAF is delivered to farmers by OSCIA with funding provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The fund is part of the Government of Canada’s Agricultural Climate Solutions Initiative.

The post Ontario On-Farm Climate Action Fund supports projects on over 130,000 acres of farmland appeared first on Farmtario.

C-234, a private member’s bill sponsored by southwestern Ontario Conservative MP Ben Lobb, appeared before the Commons’ standing committee on agriculture and agri-food on Monday and was reported back to the Commons.

According to Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), the bill — which had its first reading Feb. 7 and second reading May 18 — is now expected to come up for third reading during the House’s winter session before moving on to the Senate.

C-234 carries amendments to the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act which expand that legislation’s definition of eligible farming machinery to include grain dryers as well as barn heating and cooling systems, and which extend the exemption for farming fuels to include farmers’ purchases of natural gas and propane.

“This exemption is needed to reflect the realities of the entire Canadian agriculture industry and the undue financial burden the carbon tax places on all the necessary practices undertaken by farmers and ranchers like drying grain, irrigating crops, or heating and cooling livestock barns,” Conservative MP and opposition ag critic John Barlow said in a release Wednesday.

The standing ag committee on Monday did pass several amendments to Lobb’s bill, tightening its scope.

Those include a sunset clause — which Barlow said is a reflection of Canadian farmers’ confidence that new and sustainable technologies will come forward to replace the gas- and propane-fired options they now use to dry grain and heat barns.

That sunset clause will see the exemption brought back in a set period of time for review, allowing whatever government is in place at that time to let it lapse — or to amend or extend it if the available technologies don’t yet warrant ending the exemption.

Barlow’s original amendment called for a 10-year sunset clause, but committee members later voted to shorten that period to the bill’s eight-year anniversary — citing testimony the committee heard suggesting such technology would be available sooner rather than later.

Another approved amendment will limit the exemption’s use in farm buildings, to only include those structures directly involved in crop or livestock production, such as barns or greenhouses.

‘Critical issue’

Grain and livestock producer groups have since lined up to cheer the bill’s return to the Commons, urge MPs of all parties to approve its passage and call for Canada’s Senate to do the same.

“It is clear that (ag committee) MPs understand the lack of current alternatives for grain drying and the need to provide an exemption until viable technological solutions are developed,” GFO chair Brendan Byrne said Tuesday in a separate release.

With “no viable fuel alternatives” available for the practices covered in C-234, imposing carbon pricing on those activities “does not provide a signal to lower emissions from these sources,” Grain Growers of Canada said Wednesday in another release.

Instead, GGC said, C-234 “will put money back into the hands of farmers so that they can continue to invest in practices that drive innovation, further efficiencies and reduce fuel usage.”

“With rising input costs, inflation and supply chain shortages, carbon surcharges on necessary farm activities adds an additional burden and pulls capital away from critical investments,” GGC chair Andre Harpe said in the same release.

The Agricultural Carbon Alliance, a body representing the GGC and 14 other national-level grain, livestock and general farm groups, said Wednesday that with the bill approaching third reading, it now plans to launch a public advocacy campaign “that will call for a bipartisan consensus on this critical issue.”

Fram group representatives appearing before the ag committee echoed many of the same concerns. “We understand that the carbon price is a market signal for producers to adopt low-emission energy alternatives wherever possible, but over the past year that signal has been dwarfed by skyrocketing costs for inputs such as fertilizer, gasoline and diesel,” Canadian Federation of Agriculture vice-president Todd Lewis said at the committee’s Oct. 24 meeting.

“Even when fuel prices aren’t at record highs, farmers constantly seek to increase fuel efficiency wherever possible.”

However, another speaker, University of Saskatchewan associate professor Tristan Skolrud, cautioned the committee at the same meeting that C-234 runs the risk of further drawing out the timeline for development of viable alternatives.

With “limited changes in producer behaviour, there will be limited reductions in (greenhouse gas) emissions from grain drying before greener alternatives become available,” he said.

“The development of greener alternatives will require significant private capital, and if grain drying is unregulated, the signal to private capital will be lost. Previous testimony on this amendment suggests that sufficient alternatives are at least 10 years away.

“Keep in mind that this estimate is a function of the carbon price. A higher price will shorten that time frame if private capital senses a profitable opportunity.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post New farm fuel carbon tax rule to return to Commons appeared first on Farmtario.

The government said protocols for four other sectors including agriculture and forest management are now being developed. It will also start developing protocols for carbon capture technology, which Canada’s high-polluting oil industry is betting on to slash its emissions, this summer.

For agriculture, the federal offset protocols now under development for future launch include “enhanced soil organic carbon” and “livestock feed management.”

As those and other protocols are completed, work on protocols including “livestock manure management” and “anaerobic digestion” will begin, the government said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has pledged to cut climate-warming emissions 40-45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. Greenhouse gas emissions from waste, including landfills, make up seven per cent of Canada’s total carbon output.

The greenhouse gas offset credit system is intended to support a domestic carbon offset trading market, and the government said it will create new economic opportunities for companies and municipalities reducing emissions.

Participants can register projects and generate one tradeable offset credit for each tonne of emissions reduced or removed from the atmosphere, providing their projects follow the federal offset protocols that set out exactly which activities are eligible.

Credits can then be sold to others, such as heavy industrial emitters obliged to limit carbon pollution, or to companies wanting to voluntarily offset their emissions.

“Starting with landfills, we’re putting in place a market-based mechanism to incentivize businesses and municipalities to invest in the technologies and innovations that cut pollution,” Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said in a statement.

Once adopted, the livestock feed management protocol will credit methane reductions from livestock, the government said, while the enhanced soil organic carbon protocol would allow eligible farmers to generate offset credits by adopting “sustainable agricultural land management activities.”

The exact ag practices that can be followed to generate offset credits are to be determined during the protocol development process, the government said. Public comment periods will take place for future draft protocols, and “technical expert teams” have been set up to advise on “the latest science.”

Farmers “have made significant gains in reducing the GHG emissions intensity of the sector in recent years,” Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Wednesday in a statement. “We look forward to the development of specific details on how the agriculture sector can benefit under the federal offset credit system.”

The government expects the price of credits to broadly track Canada’s price on carbon — which is currently set at $50 a tonne and is scheduled to ramp up to $170 a tonne by 2030.

However, environmental groups warned allowing polluters to purchase offset credits instead of cutting their own emissions risked undermining climate goals.

“Offsetting doesn’t stop carbon from entering the atmosphere and warming our world, it just keeps it off the books of big polluters responsible,” said Greenpeace Canada spokesman Shane Moffatt.

— Reporting for Reuters by Nia Williams. Includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.

The post Canada launches offset credits to help tackle emissions appeared first on Farmtario.

But the changes are unlikely to happen unless governments act to spur them along, the report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released on Monday found.

“We are in the early stages of climate and agriculture policy development, but we need to start with acknowledging the urgency of the challenge,” said Ben Lilliston, director of rural strategies and climate change for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. “The IPCC warns that governments thus far have not been up to the task.”

About 22 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions came from agriculture, forestry and other land use sectors in 2019, the report said, around half of which were from deforestation. Much of the rest came from the combustion of fossil fuels.

Mitigation measures in those sectors — including protecting forests from clearcutting, sequestering carbon in agricultural soils, and more sustainable diets — can provide as much as 20-30 per cent of the emissions reductions needed to limit global warming to 1.5 or 2 C above pre-industrial levels.

Scientists say that is the threshold at which climate change risks spinning out of control.

“Indigenous peoples, private forest owners, local farmers and communities manage a significant share of global forests and agricultural land and play a central role in land-based mitigation options,” the report said.

While the changes required in the agriculture, forestry and other land use sectors — dubbed AFOLU by climate specialists — would not cost much to implement, there is little momentum so far to trigger them, the report said.

A lack of institutional and financial support, uncertainty over long-term tradeoffs of how land is managed, and the dispersed nature of private land holdings have hindered implementation so far, it said.

“Land provides us with so much, for example, food, nature, and our livelihoods,” said Diána Ürge-Vorsatz, vice-chair of the IPCC working group that authored the report. “These competing demands have to be carefully managed.”

One major obstacle is that dictating diet is divisive.

The IPCC panel’s initial report summary included a recommendation that consumers shift to plant-based diets and reduce their intake of meat, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

But the final version of the summary included a recommendation instead for balanced diets that include sustainably produced animal products alongside plants like grains and legumes.

Asked about the changes, Joanna House, an expert on land use at the University of Bristol and an author of the report, said she could not comment on why the changes were made but said the issue of dietary changes is complex.

“If meat is produced sustainably, it can be low-carbon and support soil carbon and nutrients,” she said. “If produced unsustainably, particularly in intense systems requiring large amounts of animal feed that result in deforestation, it can cause large net emissions.”

Global demand for livestock products is growing, a headwind to cutting agriculture’s emissions, the report said.

— Leah Douglas reports on the U.S. energy and agriculture sectors for Reuters from Washington; additional reporting by Gloria Dickie.

The post Food, farming, forestry must be transformed to curb global warming, UN says appeared first on Farmtario.