Portugal: Pig farmers prepare measures to ensure the sustainability of the sector

The Portuguese Federation of Pig Breeders' Associations (FPAS) said the drought and rising production costs could be an "opportunity" to invest in efficient water use and runoff management.

The "Roadmap for Environmental and Social Sustainability in Pig Production" is a project that FPAS is implementing in partnership with the University of Tras os Montes and Alto Douro, the University of Évora and the Graduate Institute of Agronomy of the University of Lisbon, to identify gaps in the sector and "create a guiding document for the next 10 years."

Speaking to Lusa, FPAS President David Neves said the project focuses on three aspects, namely: reclaiming pig effluent so it can be seen as a resource and not a waste, efficient use of water, animal feed, atmospheric emissions, and energy efficiency on farms. , with measures that could "reduce energy bills on farms."

The FPAS President spoke to Lusa while visiting a pig farm in Salvaterra de Magos, Santarem County, which has already implemented water efficiency measures.

Speaking about the sector's impact on the environment, David Neves said that "it's always relative", pointing out that pork is one of the most consumed meats in Portugal and considering that the association of animal husbandry with environmental issues "reverses the reality of the process".

“We have a need to produce a commodity that is necessary for the daily life of each of us, namely meat, which reaches each of us, and, naturally, this commodity has environmental consequences, but if we work on it correctly, mitigate the consequences correctly, we we can turn what was a problem into a big opportunity,” he said.

According to the National Emission Inventory compiled by the Portuguese Environmental Protection Agency (APA) and published in March 2020, the total weight of pig production in Portugal's greenhouse gas emissions is "only 0.34% of the country's total emissions and only 5.25% in the livestock sector.

With regard to the impact of the drought situation on the Portuguese mainland and rising grain prices, it is extensive production that is already struggling, he said, believing that the current context could also be "an opportunity to look at this sector in a different way", to move forward with measures on environmental and social sustainability of pig production.

Rising pork prices "are an inevitable consequence" with cost increases "approaching 30%," the FPAS president added, explaining that the rise in input prices did not start with the war in Ukraine, as that dynamic began "in May of last year, at a time when the sector itself was plunged into a deep crisis.”

“This has been exacerbated by the current crisis in Ukraine, and naturally this significant increase in production factors, namely those related to food and energy, means that consumer prices must also accompany this evolution, otherwise the country will be left with a particularly important problem that is related to , of course, with a lack of resources, with external dependence on such an important commodity as meat,” he said.

As for the destination of the products produced, about 70% is self-sufficient in Portugal, and the rest is exported, from  China to neighboring Spain, according to the FPAS president, who also noted the ability of Portuguese producers to compete in major world markets in terms of pork production.