Life Cycle Assessment of Pig Production in Central Portugal: Environmental Impacts and Sustainability Challenges

Lenise Santos, Miguel Ferreira, Idalina Domingos, Veronica Oliveira (), Carla Rodrigues, António Ferreira and José Ferreira
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Lenise Santos: Centre for Natural Resources, Technology and Management School, Polytechnic University of Viseu, Av. Cor. José Maria Vale de Andrade, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Miguel Ferreira: IT Department, Technology and Management School, Polytechnic University of Viseu, Av. Cor. José Maria Vale de Andrade, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Idalina Domingos: Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society-CERNAS-IPV, Technology and Management School, Polytechnic University of Viseu, Av. Cor. José Maria Vale de Andrade, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Veronica Oliveira: Polytechnic University of Coimbra, Rua da Misericórdia, Lagar dos Cortiços, S. Martinho do Bispo, 3045-093 Coimbra, Portugal
Carla Rodrigues: Polytechnic University of Coimbra, Rua da Misericórdia, Lagar dos Cortiços, S. Martinho do Bispo, 3045-093 Coimbra, Portugal
António Ferreira: Polytechnic University of Coimbra, Rua da Misericórdia, Lagar dos Cortiços, S. Martinho do Bispo, 3045-093 Coimbra, Portugal
José Ferreira: Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society-CERNAS-IPV, Technology and Management School, Polytechnic University of Viseu, Av. Cor. José Maria Vale de Andrade, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: Pig farming plays a crucial socioeconomic role in the European Union, which is one of the largest pork exporters in the world. In Portugal, pig farming plays a key role in regional development and the national economy. To ensure future sustainability and minimize environmental impacts, it is essential to identify the most deleterious pig production activities. This study carried out a life cycle assessment (LCA) of pig production using a conventional system in central Portugal to identify the unitary processes with the greatest environmental impact problems. LCA followed the ISO 14040/14044 standards, covering the entire production cycle, from feed manufacturing to waste management, using 1 kg of live pig weight as the functional unit. The slurry produced is used as fertilizer in agriculture, replacing synthetic chemical fertilizers. Results show that feed production, raising piglets, and fattening pigs are the most impactful phases of the pig production cycle. Fodder production is the stage with the greatest impact, accounting for approximately 60% to 70% of the impact in the categories analyzed in most cases. The environmental categories with the highest impacts were freshwater ecotoxicity, human carcinogenic toxicity, and marine ecotoxicity; the most significant impacts were observed for human health, with an estimated effect of around 0.00045 habitants equivalent (Hab.eq) after normalization. The use of more sustainable ingredients and the optimization of feed efficiency are effective strategies for promoting sustainability in the pig farming sector.

Keywords: pig farming; LCA; environmental impacts; slurry valorization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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