Faced with growing climate challenges, the livestock industry has been the subject of heated debates, blamed for greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. However, the livestock industry is important, as our global food system must serve 10 billion people by 2050, while closing the nutrition gaps that leave 200 million children malnourished each year.
However, the threat of animal diseases often stands between livestock producers and meeting sustainability goals. When livestock are sick, livestock are less productive while needing more water, feed, and other resources to recover. And it means that some animals have to be bred to meet the needs of consumers. This leads to gas pollution that increases the entire production area.
That leaves us with only one option: to find new solutions to make the livestock industry sustainable. Through sustainable production, livestock can be a powerful partner in combating climate change and strengthening food security, driving carbon sequestration, and enhancing biodiversity.
Animal health tools
The good news is, we now have vaccines and other animal health tools that can make the livestock industry sustainable. Research shows that effective protection and treatment of animals from disease and other health issues can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock industry. For example, vaccinating cattle against East Coast fever reduces emissions by up to 40% in East African countries, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN. And according to research firm Oxford Analytica, a 10% reduction in disease rates of livestock around the world. in a given year it could lead to a reduction of 800 million tonnes in total carbon emissions—roughly equivalent to the annual average carbon footprint of 117 million Europeans.
Consider again, that animal health today is as much about farming data as it is about animals. In addition to science-driven medicines and vaccines, it requires innovation using data-driven information to help farmers make daily decisions such as how to breed their animals, what to feed them, and which ones should be part of their herd’s future. On-farm diagnostic tools, for example, help producers detect potential health problems like mastitis in dairy cows before the next milking—and use this information to deliver highly targeted treatment only to the cows that need it.
Genetic testing is another breakthrough in farm data. By combining herd records with genetic testing, dairy producers can make better predictions on issues such as mastitis resistance, milk production, fertility, and all other important economic and environmental factors for a healthy and stable herd. By combining digital analytics with data and traditional medicine, vaccines, diagnostics, and genetics, livestock veterinarians and producers can effectively address the entire animal life cycle—predicting, preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease effectively with the right solution at the right time.
The role of the world community
The global community is finally realizing how addressing animal health can play a role in climate change discussions. With animal health at the forefront of the COP28 talks in Dubai, the FAO urged nations to “protect animal health … and increase livestock vaccination coverage” to accelerate global climate action.
As the CEO of the world’s leading animal health company, I believe there are important steps countries can take to improve animal health for a sustainable diet. With effective and preventive vaccinations and strong surveillance programs that help us deal with disease outbreaks, we can begin to use these powerful tools to improve animal health and improve the sustainability of the livestock sector.
Some think that eliminating the livestock industry worldwide will solve the methane problem entirely. As cultural norms are ingrained throughout the world, however, this change will take decades to implement. In addition, the FAO noted that improving animal health equipment, technology, and nutrition could achieve a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 35%, compared to just a 4% reduction in livestock farming. This highlights the huge potential for innovation in the livestock industry to have a positive impact on the environment.
Solutions already exist
Time is not on our side when it comes to solving climate change, but the solutions to ensure healthy animals—and make dairy and meat production less carbon intensive—already exist. Governments need to ensure accessibility by removing trade barriers and regulations that make successful livestock production too expensive or unavailable in local markets. Emerging economies, where disease rates are high (and, emissions are high), should prioritize animal health as a way to reduce carbon emissions. Albania, Burundi, Gambia, and Sri Lanka, which have already taken the lead, added animal health to their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) strategies. More countries should follow their lead.
As world leaders gather at important conferences such as the UN General Assembly and COP29 to discuss the best ways to control rising temperatures, they need to commit to policies that will make healthy animals the fastest possible way to mitigate climate change. Our planet and its people depend on it
Kristin Peck is the CEO of Zoetis.
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