Poultry is the green meat

Research has found poultry and eggs to be the most environmentally friendly source of energy, compared to beef, pork or lamb.

A recent study carried out by Dr Adrian Williams at Cranfield University has investigated the consumption of primary resources (such as minerals and fossil fuels) on 10 differing farming systems, in a life cycle assessment (LCA) to determine the intensity of the environmental ‘footprint’ that each system generates.

Williams found conclusively that poultry and eggs are the leaders in energy performance for livestock with the lowest levels of global warming potential (GWP) when compared to beef, pork, and lamb — he said that “the sector should give itself a pat on its back”.

The study, funded by the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, also compared the environmental impact of cage, barn, free range and organic egg production in relation to GWP.

The findings demonstrated a significantly higher energy use with organic, free-range and barn egg production, due to greater land requirements and less efficient feed conversion than layer hens in cage egg production.