For the sake of comparison, here is the climate footprint of different types of meat (per 1 kg of edible meat):
- Beef→ ~60 kg CO₂e/kg.
It is the most carbon-intensive meat, mainly because of methane produced during enteric fermentation in ruminants. - Lamb and mutton→ ~24 kg CO₂e/kg.
- Pork→ ~7 kg CO₂e/kg.
- Chicken→ ~6 kg CO₂e/kg.
- Turkey→ ~10–12 kg CO₂e/kg.
- Duck→ ~7–9 kg CO₂e/kg.
- Farmed fish (salmon, trout)→ ~5–6 kg CO₂e/kg.
- Wild-caught fish→ ~2–6 kg CO₂e/kg, depending on the fishing method and the fuel used by the fishing fleet.
Why Is Meat So Carbon-Intensive?
The main reason ismethane (CH₄)produced during rumination.
In cattle,enteric fermentationaccounts for more than half of total emissions.
The average breakdown is as follows:
- Enteric fermentation (CH₄ from rumination): ~53–54%
- Manure management (N₂O / CH₄): ~20–22%
- Feed production (soil N₂O): ~11%
- Energy and CO₂ (barns, machinery and transport): ~9–9.5%
- Residual CH₄ from manure: ~4–6%
Formonogastric animals(such as pigs and poultry), the environmental impact is lower because there is no enteric fermentation.
In these cases, emissions come mainly from:
- Feed production: ~50–60%
- Manure management and land application: ~15–25%
- Energy and transport: ~10–15%
The Role of Extensive Livestock Farming
The real issue is not meat itself, butintensive livestock farming.
By contrast,adopting an extensive, pasture-based systemwould fundamentally change the carbon balance of a farm.
- Reduced direct emissions per animal.
- Lower use of imported, concentrated feed.
- More digestible diets, resulting in lower methane emissions.
- More sustainable manure management, returning nutrients to the soil as organic fertiliser.
- Greater capacity to absorb CO₂ in soils and grasslands.
The Potential of Natural Grazing in Italy
Italy has around6 million hectares of land suitable for grazing.
If only half of this area were managed through extensive grazing, the result would be:
3 million hectares × 2 tonnes of CO₂e sequestered per year =
→6 million tonnes of CO₂e sequesteredannually,
with an estimated overall reduction of around15 million tonnes of CO₂e per year.
This model could reduce Italy’stotal greenhouse gas emissions by 3–4%,while at the same time regenerating soils, rural landscapes and biodiversity.
The quality of both meat and dairy products would also improve: more nutritious, less intensive and more closely connected to the local territory.
A Comparison with Viticulture
At first glance, discussing sustainability in viticulture might seem like a concern only for enthusiasts, and that it would be more useful to focus on other sectors.
In reality, however, the world of wine has enormous cultural influence: it caninspire more sustainable modelsand demonstrate that quality and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.
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