AHDB’s newly published Pork Environmental Roadmap sets out both how far the British pig sector has already come on environmental performance and how it intends to go further. For an industry often under scrutiny, it provides robust evidence, clear direction and a sense of practical realism.

Over the past two decades, the sector has achieved a significant reduction in emissions intensity (around 40%), driven largely by improvements in productivity, efficiency and animal performance. More recently, emissions per kilogram of pork have fallen by a further 18% since 2008, underlining the extent to which environmental gains have been embedded in day-to-day production rather than delivered through headline initiatives alone.

The roadmap puts this progress in the context of what comes next. It makes clear that the next phase will require a more coordinated, whole-system approach, recognising that pig production does not operate in isolation but as part of integrated farming and supply chain systems. Feed, for example, remains the single biggest driver of environmental impact, and continued work on feed efficiency, alternative proteins and more circular feeding systems will be central to further progress.

The strategic priorities detailed in the document seek to put the industry on a pathway to net zero that does not lose sight of the need to balance food production, economic viability and global competitiveness. 

Importantly, it also acknowledges the complexity of environmental improvement. Actions that improve one aspect of sustainability can sometimes create trade-offs elsewhere, and the roadmap is refreshingly honest about that. The emphasis is therefore on evidence-based decision making, supported by improved data, better measurement and the scaling up of proven solutions.

UK pig production already compares favourably in global terms, particularly at the farm level, where its carbon footprint is significantly lower than international averages. What comes through clearly is that this is an industry taking ownership of its environmental agenda. The roadmap has been developed collaboratively across producers, processors and industry bodies, and is designed to evolve as new data and technologies emerge.

It also reinforces the importance of a joined-up supply chain approach and highlights the opportunity to demonstrate the sustainability credentials of British pork more clearly to customers, policymakers and the wider public.

While not all challenges have yet been solved, the direction of travel is clear and grounded in real-world progress. You can hear an interview with AHDB’s Pork Environmental Roadmap Chair, Hugh Crabtree on Farming Today. Listen from 9:27 minutes.

Read the roadmap