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Livestock farming’s climate footprint on spotlight

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SPACE 2020 has dedicated a section of the three-day exhibition to dialogue on means to reduce the climate footprint of livestock farming.

Slated for 13th to the 15th of September, Space 2022 believes finding solutions and making changes is more urgent given the considerable financial impact for livestock farmers.

“The war on climate change, announced by our government leaders, can be considered as an opportunity for agriculture. We need to find positive solutions to make the agricultural sector a leader in this war.

“The livestock farming sector in particular must shed its image as the ‘ideal culprit’ in this matter,” said Chloé Letellier, SPACE Communication Officer,.

Through a platform dubbed Espace for the Future, Space 2022 will address issues and find opportunities to make things better.

“This summer has once again revealed the fragility of our ecosystems in the face of climate change. The repeated heat waves and drought conditions have had a huge impact on the livestock industry, resulting in lower yields, fodder shortages for the winter, among others.

The agricultural sector is responsible for 19 percent of today’s greenhouse gas emissions and needs to reduce that figure by 55 percent between now and 2030.

“To reach the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 set by the French Climate Act, improvements and solutions must be found quickly and collectively.”

Meanwhile the experts of the Chambers of Agriculture in the various sectors continue to look for innovative and concrete solutions from the exhibitors.

These technical innovations presented in the Espace for the Future are designed to reduce the energy dependence of livestock farms: solutions include covering slurry pits and recovering the biogas for use in a biogas furnace and producing hot water with thermal solar collectors.

“The milk cooling tank of the future will also be presented with its energy-efficient refrigeration unit equipped with a heat recovery unit that heats the milking parlour,” said Letellier.

In addition, reduce GHG emissions on livestock farms by flat scraping under slatted floors and improve technical performance through individualized pig feeding programmes.