Due to its favorable properties, soybean meal (SBM) is used especially in young growing animals. In terms of sustainability, there are various efforts to reduce the amounts of SBM in compound feeds and to increase the use of regional protein sources. This paper focuses on the effects of a partial to total substitution of SBM by regionally produced rapeseed meal (RSM) in different piglet diets regarding 10 important factors having an impact on the environment. Four diets, characterized by different shares (%) of both protein-rich ingredients (SBM/RSM: 18.1/0; 13.6/6.70; 8.10/16.1; 0/28.0), were fed to four groups of 10 piglets each in two runs. The impact was calculated related to feed (per t) and was performance-based for every piglet (impact·kg weight gain⁻¹) for each factor using methods according to life-cycle-analyses (LCA). Although feed intake and weight gains were not affected negatively, higher feed conversion ratios occurred, with high amounts of rapeseed inclusion. Nevertheless, the performance-based negative influence on climate change (kg CO₂ eq·kg weight gain⁻¹) was nearly halved when SBM was replaced by RSM. Since performance was not negatively affected, the use of RSM instead of SBM in piglet diets could be a viable tool for markedly reducing the negative impact on climate change.

In total, around 631 million broilers were slaughtered in Germany in 2022. This evaluation included data of approx. 198 million broilers of different ages and breeds that were transported in Germany in 2022 (31% of all cases of broiler chicken transport in 2022). The aim of this study was to analyze German broiler chicken transport (n = 14,054) to the slaughterhouse between January 2022 and May 2023 with regard to the dead-on-arrival (DOA) rate and the possible influencing factors. Therefore, the relation between the total amount of animals per transport, the duration and distance of the transport, the planned stocking density in the transport cages, the average daily temperature and time of day and season of the transport as well as the DOA rate were statistically evaluated. The results showed a mean DOA rate of 0.09% (SD 0.09). Transport conducted at midday (11:00 to 17:00) showed higher DOA rates (p < 0.05) than transport at other times (day split into 6 h intervals). The highest mean DOA rate (0.10%) was found in the fall, followed by the winter, while transport in the spring and summer resulted in the lowest DOA rate (p < 0.05). All in all, the relatively low DOA rate (%) in Germany indicates the good standard of their broiler transport compared to available data from research in other European countries.

Introduction: In all sectors of the economy, including livestock production, there is an increasing focus on sustainability criteria. The carbon footprint is therefore an important target value in pig production. The aim is to minimize this value. Infectious diseases may affect the performance negatively, potentially leading to a higher carbon footprint. Therefore, vaccinations may be a useful tool to ensure a high level of sustainability in pork production.Materials and methods: The aim of this evaluation was to assess the impact of vaccinations against Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2), Mesomycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo), both PCV2 and M. hyo, and Lawsonia intracellularis (LI) in epidemic situations in Europe on performance parameters using results from former publications on these diseases. These parameters were then used to calculate the carbon footprint of the pigs using life cycle assessment (LCA). The data collection with PubMed was based on the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, from which, however, some deviations were made. In total, 14 trials on PCV2, 10 trials on M. hyo, 14 trials on M. hyo and PCV2, and 17 trials on LI fulfilled the criteria and were included in this evaluation. In general, review articles and studies published before 1990 were excluded as were studies with incomplete data concerning the performance parameters and studies from non-European countries if the published body weights, genetics used, or other details in the experimental setup suggested they were not comparable to European standards.Results: The mean carbon footprint was up to 12.1% (PCV2), 2.5% (M. hyo), 9.3% (PCV2 and M. hyo), or 3.5% (LI) lower following a vaccination.Discussion: This evaluation clearly shows that healthy animals can achieve a reduced carbon footprint through better performance with lower resource consumption, which is extremely important for sustainable animal husbandry. The use of health preserving measures such as vaccination can be a useful and important tool for reaching this goal.

This study investigates the impact of pathogen-induced diseases on broiler chickens' performance and carbon footprint (CF), focusing on infections caused by Eimeria spp. and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Included studies from a previous systematic literature review compared the performance of non-infected and infected broiler chickens, focusing on average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality rate. Trials were categorized based on the age of the broiler chickens (finisher period or entire lifespan). The CF (kg CO₂ eq per kg body weight gain) was calculated using Opteinics™. Results indicate that infections with Eimeria spp. reduced mean ADG by 26.4 % (finisher period) or 20.4 % (entire lifespan) and increased mean FCR by 15.4 % (finisher period) or 19.5 % (entire lifespan), leading to 16.9 % (finisher period) or 30.9 % (entire lifespan) increase in the CF. E.coli infections resulted in 15.4 % (finisher period) or 8.1 % (entire lifespan) reduction in ADG and 11.5 % (finisher period) or 6.4 % (entire lifespan) increase in FCR, causing 28.7 % (finisher period) or 10.5 % (entire lifespan) increase in the CF. Scenario analyses for Germany suggest that preventing these infections could save up to 447 k metric tons of CO₂ equivalent for Eimeria spp. and up to 416 k metric tons of CO₂ equivalent for E. coli (annually). The findings emphasize the importance of maintaining animal health to reduce the environmental impact of broiler production. Effective management practices, including high hygiene standards and reasoned use of medical products, are crucial for preventing infections and improving the sustainability of poultry farming.

In total, approximately 30.5 million fattening turkeys were slaughtered in Germany in 2022. This evaluation included data on around 11.9 million fattening turkeys of various ages and breeds transported within Germany in 2022, representing 39 % of all fattening turkey consignments that year. The aim of this study was to analyze German fattening turkey consignments (n = 2,864) to the slaughterhouse in 2022, focusing on the dead-on-arrival (DOA) rate and potential influencing factors. The relationship between factors such as the total number of animals per transport, transport duration and distance, planned stocking density in transport cages, average daily temperature, time of day, season of transport, and DOA rate was statistically assessed. The results indicated a mean DOA rate of 0.14 % (SD 0.09), this being consistent with findings of previous European studies. The evaluated data showed no influence of the number of animals, the distance and duration of transport, or the stocking density on the DOA rate (%). Higher temperatures and transport during summer were associated with a higher mean DOA rate, indicating that high temperatures can present a significant challenge for the welfare of fattening turkeys during transport.