Scratching beneath the surface: The commercial broiler system's climate change vulnerability, and its hidden impacts on the environment

Queenan, Kevin; Cuevas, Soledad; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe; Slotow, Rob; Haesler, Barbara

Abstract

This series of five policy briefs draws on research conducted by South African and United Kingdom-based researchers within the SHEFS consortium. The series seeks to encourage policy makers working on the commercial broiler chicken system in South Africa to adopt a broad systems-based perspective in their work.
This brief highlights the system’s impact on the environment, and its vulnerability to climate change.

This policy brief highlights the commercial broiler chicken system’s climate change vulnerability and its hidden impact on the environment. Livestock plays a significant role in the environmental impact of food production, contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. Non-ruminant livestock, including broiler chicken production, are viewed as less environmentally damaging meat sources. However, while its direct requirement for land is relatively small compared to ruminants, commercial broiler production’s major environmental impact is through the intensive production of cereals, upon which it is entirely dependent for feed production. Arable land in South Africa is limited, and cereal production for humans and for livestock feed is threatened by weather variability and climate change. Intensive cereal production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation and biodiversity loss. Broiler meat processing consumes water, and excrement waste is deposited in the environment with potential to contaminate water sources. Policies driving the increased production and consumption of commercially produced broiler meat must ensure that the system becomes both resilient to climate change and more environmentally sustainable

Citation

Queenan, K., Cuevas, S., Mabhaudhi, T., Slotow, R., & Haesler, B. (2023). Scratching beneath the surface: The commercial broiler system's climate change vulnerability, and its hidden impacts on the environment. Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems Programme (SHEFS)

• Report Type: Policy Document
• Online Publication Date: Dec 10, 2024
• Publication Date: May 12, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jan 2, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 23, 2025
• Series Number: 5 of 5
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14355354