Environmental Impacts of Egg Production from a Life Cycle Perspective
The food industry represents a vast environmental burden to our planet. Most animal products are known to have greater environmental impacts than alternative plant-based sources of nutrition. One of the most consumed animal products are eggs, represented in most dietary habits both as a primary ingr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/3/355 |
| _version_ | 1797447410404818944 |
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| author | Aurore Guillaume Anna Hubatová-Vacková Vladimír Kočí |
| author_facet | Aurore Guillaume Anna Hubatová-Vacková Vladimír Kočí |
| author_sort | Aurore Guillaume |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The food industry represents a vast environmental burden to our planet. Most animal products are known to have greater environmental impacts than alternative plant-based sources of nutrition. One of the most consumed animal products are eggs, represented in most dietary habits both as a primary ingredient and processed. In the European Union (EU), eggs for consumption can be produced in four different laying systems: enriched cages, barns, free-range, and organic. In past years, discussions about the ethical perspective have been ongoing among the wider public, industry and academia. However, the essential comparison of environmental impacts of the laying systems has been missing in our region. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an excellent tool for comparing environmental impacts of various scenarios. Therefore, we performed a LCA of several egg-producing subjects in the Czech Republic, representative of all four laying systems. In addition, these regulated laying systems were compared to a community garden system. Our results suggest feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed composition, and manure management to be the most important factors influencing the total environmental impacts of eggs. Moreover, environmental benefits linked to outdoor access or using organic feed over conventional were observed in our study. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:55:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c9336b0c75504a6dbba3776137153b21 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:55:23Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-c9336b0c75504a6dbba3776137153b212023-11-30T20:43:25ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722022-03-0112335510.3390/agriculture12030355Environmental Impacts of Egg Production from a Life Cycle PerspectiveAurore Guillaume0Anna Hubatová-Vacková1Vladimír Kočí2Department of Product Ecology and Sustainability, University of Chemistry and Technology, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Product Ecology and Sustainability, University of Chemistry and Technology, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Product Ecology and Sustainability, University of Chemistry and Technology, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech RepublicThe food industry represents a vast environmental burden to our planet. Most animal products are known to have greater environmental impacts than alternative plant-based sources of nutrition. One of the most consumed animal products are eggs, represented in most dietary habits both as a primary ingredient and processed. In the European Union (EU), eggs for consumption can be produced in four different laying systems: enriched cages, barns, free-range, and organic. In past years, discussions about the ethical perspective have been ongoing among the wider public, industry and academia. However, the essential comparison of environmental impacts of the laying systems has been missing in our region. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an excellent tool for comparing environmental impacts of various scenarios. Therefore, we performed a LCA of several egg-producing subjects in the Czech Republic, representative of all four laying systems. In addition, these regulated laying systems were compared to a community garden system. Our results suggest feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed composition, and manure management to be the most important factors influencing the total environmental impacts of eggs. Moreover, environmental benefits linked to outdoor access or using organic feed over conventional were observed in our study.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/3/355Life Cycle Assessmentegglaying hen systemsenvironmental impactspoultryfood production |
| spellingShingle | Aurore Guillaume Anna Hubatová-Vacková Vladimír Kočí Environmental Impacts of Egg Production from a Life Cycle Perspective Agriculture Life Cycle Assessment egg laying hen systems environmental impacts poultry food production |
| title | Environmental Impacts of Egg Production from a Life Cycle Perspective |
| title_full | Environmental Impacts of Egg Production from a Life Cycle Perspective |
| title_fullStr | Environmental Impacts of Egg Production from a Life Cycle Perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental Impacts of Egg Production from a Life Cycle Perspective |
| title_short | Environmental Impacts of Egg Production from a Life Cycle Perspective |
| title_sort | environmental impacts of egg production from a life cycle perspective |
| topic | Life Cycle Assessment egg laying hen systems environmental impacts poultry food production |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/3/355 |
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