Research project Sustainability scan as a first step towards more sustainable pig and broiler chick production

General introduction

For the first time, Flemish pig and broiler farmers can assess their operations across four sustainability pillars: animal health and welfare, climate and environment, economic viability, and social well-being. Previously, this was difficult because existing tools were usually limited to a single pillar (such as economics). With this user-friendly assessment, information, and benchmarking tool, livestock farmers can assess their strengths and areas for improvement for each pillar and also compare their results anonymously with those of their peers. The sustainability scan was developed at the sector’s request as part of the VLAIO LA project DUVAKI and was tested and evaluated in collaboration with livestock farmers, experts, and other stakeholders.

Research approach

For each pillar, a set of indicators was compiled based on existing questionnaires, tools, and discussions with experts. There are 9 indicators for animal health and welfare (including mortality rate, stocking density, and biosecurity), 8 ecological indicators for climate and the environment (including energy and water consumption and feed composition), 9 economic indicators (including profitability, feed costs, and family labor income), and 8 indicators for social well-being (including working conditions, work-life balance, and social networks).
In the farm report, all indicators are evaluated against reference values (drawn from statistics provided by government agencies, agricultural organizations, and the literature) that are regularly updated. In this way, the tool calculates relative farm scores for each indicator without averaging the results into a single overall score. In addition to a graphical representation of their results, livestock farmers also receive practical advice and references to relevant websites, agencies, and support tools.

Relevance/Valorization

During the project, 56 Flemish farms completed the assessment: 33 pork farms and 23 broiler farms. The pork farms scored well on feed conversion, mortality rate, and barn insulation, but lower on sustainable water use. The broiler farms generally achieve good scores for biosecurity, liquidity, and the number of animals arriving dead at the slaughterhouse (dead-on-arrival), while profitability and sustainable water use are more frequently areas for improvement. For most of the economic indicators, significant variation is evident in both sectors. The tool is relevant for livestock farmers, consultants, and policymakers who wish to take an integrated approach to sustainability.

Financing

VLAIO