Identifying ways of producing pigs more sustainably: tradeoffs and co-benefits in land and antimicrobial use

Pork accounts for the largest proportion of meat consumed globally and demand is growing rapidly. Two important externalities of pig farming are land use and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) driven by antimicrobial use (AMU). Land use and AMU are commonly perceived to be negatively related across different production systems, so those with smaller land footprints pose greater risk to human health. However, the relationship between land use and AMU has never been systematically evaluated. We addressed this by measuring both outcomes for 74 highly diverse pig production systems. We found weak evidence of an AMU/land use tradeoff. We also found several systems characterized by low externality costs in both domains. These potentially promising systems were spread across different label and husbandry types and indeed no type was a reliable indicator of low-cost systems in both externalities. Our findings highlight the importance of using empirical evidence in decision-making, rather than relying on assumptions.

Automated summary

Pork is the most consumed meat globally with increasing demand. Land use and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) caused by antimicrobial use (AMU) are two important externalities of pig farming. It is commonly believed that land use and AMU are negatively related across different production systems, suggesting that systems with smaller land footprints pose greater risks to human health. However, the relationship between land use and AMU has not been systematically evaluated. In this study, we measured both outcomes for 74 diverse pig production systems and found weak evidence of an AMU/land use tradeoff. We also identified several systems with low externality costs in both domains, which were spread across different label and husbandry types, indicating that no type reliably indicates low-cost systems in both externalities. Our findings emphasize the importance of using empirical evidence instead of assumptions in decision-making.