The PEFCR Feed for Food-Producing Animals

The PEFCR Feed for Food-Producing Animals, published in April 2018, contains an EU-harmonised methodology to comprehensively measure the environmental performance of feed production across 16 impact categories

The European feed industry is fully aware of the fact that the largest share of the environmental footprint of an animal product (e.g. poultry/pig meat, fish, eggs) is determined by the feed production stage. Accurate, harmonised and transparent measurement of compound feed production is therefore a fundamental prerequisite to develop effective environmental mitigation strategies. As the coordinator of the Technical Secretariat, FEFAC has made a vital contribution to the development of the PEFCR Feed for Food-Producing Animals released in April 2018.

The PEF, Product Environmental Footprint, was launched as an initiative by the European Commission under the Single Market for Green Products Communication in 2013. The European Commission initiated calls for the development of Category Rules for specific products as a common way of measuring environmental performance. The PEFCR Feed covers 16 environmental impact categories, including climate change. The foundation of the sector specific  environmental footprinting methodology for the feed and livestock sector was laid with the publication in 2015 of the FAO-LEAP Guidelines on feed supply chains.

To achieve a reduction in GHG emissions related to animal production, feed formulation holds the key to provide effective and measurable solutions to reduce environmental impacts linked to livestock production, such as methane emissions or nutrient leakage (N/P emissions). Compound feed manufacturers intend to use PEFCR studies to communicate improvements in the environmental performance of the feed production stage to livestock farmers, to support their efforts to respond successfully to market demands for sustainable livestock products. FEFAC recommends that the EU recognises the PEFCR Feed as the key scientific reference method to substantiate environmental claims in compound feed production. FEFAC is committed to facilitate the uptake of the PEFCR Feed by all EU feed manufacturers.

The methodology provided through the PEFCR Feed is only half of the story when it comes to measuring the environmental footprint in feed production. Access to secondary LCA data on the environmental performance of feed ingredients is a crucial element in the footprint calculation of feed formulation. The European Commission has made a free Life Cycle Inventory available. FEFAC is directly involved in the development of the GFLI Database, which is also PEF-compliant.

External links

Key elements in data collection for PEFCR Feed

Step-wise engagement plan for feed manufacturers on environmental footprinting

The PEFCR Feed for Food-Producing Animals (April 2018 – PDF ; Flipbook)