Since 2013, the ATF-EAAP Special Session during the EAAP Annual Meeting aims to bring together animal science with practice of animal production and connect researchers, policy makers, industry representatives and societal organisations. Every year, a different topic is addressed during this session. In 2021, the EAAP Livestock Farming Systems Study Commission and the ATF Special Session have joined into a one-day symposium. In 2022, they have decided to continue the

Background

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are among the greatest challenges faced by livestock farming that has become an issue of the greatest importance for consumers and policy makers. At the same time, livestock has a strong mitigation potential: “improved management practices could reduce emissions from livestock systems by about 30%”, says FAO.

Several reports are under writing among international organisations (IPCC, FAO, DG Agri…) that may lead to decision making in the coming months with impacts on the livestock sector.

The ATF would like to draw a state of the art on GHG emissions from livestock, the role of methane, the different metrics to measure emissions and mitigation levers at various scales, inviting international organisations, research organisations, farmers, industries, NGOs and policy makers.

Aim

The symposium aims to contribute to:

• Engage a dialogue with various stakeholders;
• Address how research and innovation can support the livestock sector;
• Provide input to European research and innovation agendas and to public policies to secure Europe’s role as a leading global provider of safe and healthy animal-derived products;
• Support knowledge development and innovation;
• Foster ownership by farmers and

The outcomes of the session will be discussed with a large panel of European stakeholders during the 12th ATF seminar, in Brussels, on 17 November 2022.

Outline general programme

8:30 : Welcome & introduction - By Frank O'Mara, ATF President & Michael Lee, President of the EAAP LFS Study Commission

State of policies and research about climate impacts from livestock, metrics & mitigation options

8:45 : IPCC AR6 Working Group III report: overview of agricultural sector GHG emissions - By Harry Clark, NZAGRC

9:15 : FAO report: Technical Advisory Group on Methane emissions from the livestock systems and Working group on metrics - By John Lynch, Oxford University

9:45 : EU policy tools to decrease emissions from the livestock sector - By Valeria Forlin, DG Clima, Unit C3: Low Carbon Solutions (III): Land Economy & Carbon Removals, and Andreas Pilzecker, DG Agri, Unit B2 - Environmental sustainability

10:15 : Coffee break

10:45 : Global Research Alliance on Agricultural GreenHouse Gases GRA-GHG - By Hayden Montgomery, Special Representative of the GRA

11:00 : Production profiles and GHG emissions – pilot study on farm practices towards circular bioeconomy - By Dana Peškovičová, NPPC

11:15 : Territorial-scale trade-offs of livestock performance: cattle diet composition perspective - By Ruizhen Wang, INRAE

11:30 : State of the art in Research and Innovation – Nutrition and supplements - By John Newbold & Jamie Newbold, SRUC

12:00 : Research and innovation for climate change mitigation from an animal breeding perspective - By Oscar Gónzález Recio, INIA-CSIC

12:15 : State of the art in Research and Innovation – Manure management - By Henrique Trindade, UTAD & David Fangueiro, ISA 

12:30 : PANEL DISCUSSION  with the speakers of the last 2 presentations, the audience and

• David Yañez-Ruiz, CSIC with a 5-minute presentation of “Relivestock”
• Review of research in genetics from the WCGALP2022, World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production (to be confirmed)
• Michael Lee, Harper Adams University as representative from BSAS2022, British society of Animal Science Conference
• Nicolas DiLorenzo, University of Florida, as representative from GGAA2022, International Greenhouse Gas and Animal Agriculture Conference

Moderation by Tommy Boland, EAAP LFS Study Commission and Ana Sofia Santos/Ana Granados, ATF Vice-presidents

13:00 : Lunch

GHG emissions mitigation in practice

14:00 : At farm gate: feed systems, increased soil carbon sequestration and energy production - By Anne-Catherine Dalcq, CEJA

14:15 : Breeding towards efficiency in Finnish dairy and beef cattle improves environmental performance - By Sanna Hietala, LUKE

14:30 : GHG emissions mitigation in practice: a Dutch farmer with monogastrics & ruminants - By Iwan Gijsbers, ZLTO

14:45 : Vision industry: Danone & its project that aims to support French dairy farmers in their Carbon footprint reduction - By Maëline Baudet, Danone

15:00 : PANEL DISCUSSION with speakers and the audience. Moderation by Tommy Boland, EAAP LFS Study Commission and Ana Sofia Santos/Ana Granados, ATF Vice-presidents

15:45 : Coffee break

16:15 : State of implementation of good practices in various EU projects - By Josselin Andurand, IDELE

16:30 : Taxonomic profiling of pasture fed sheep divergent for methane output - By Stuart Kirwan, Teagasc

16:45 : Alentejo’s beef farms economic and environmental performance through a regionally developed decision - By Manuel Dos Santos, Técnico Lisboa

17:00 : Phytochemical and in vitro methane inhibition of plant extracts as influenced by extractive solvents - By Abubeker Hassen, University of Pretoria

17:15 : Considerations from modelling UK livestock farming: How farmers can reduce emissions - By Harry Kamilaris, CIEL

17:30 : Closing - By Frank O'Mara, ATF President & Michael Lee, President of the EAAP LFS Study Commission

Posters

• Reducing carbon footprint in the Azorean meat industry - By Ana Pereira, Universidade dos Açores, Instituto de Investigação em Tecnologias Agrárias e do Ambiente
• Optimising the integration of crop and dairy production systems in the Netherlands - By Lianne Alderkamp, WUR
• Carbon farming as an element of two meat quality production systems in Poland - By Jacek Walczak, National Research Institute of Animal Production
• The use of ammonia mitigation methods in animal production for the official Polish emission inventor - By Jacek Walczak, National Research Institute of Animal Production