| Abstract: | Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a generally accepted method to evaluate the overall environmental burden and production efficiency during the entire life cycle of a product, which is widely used for production management structure optimization in the enterprises and policy formulation in governments. In recent years, for food safety and environmental protection considerations, more and more studies emphasize that the LCA method should be used in animal husbandry to comprehensively assess the environmental burden and resources consumption during the animal-source food production. In China, LCA research and application of animal husbandry are rare, especially in the northern grassland pastoral area, which are the main livestock produce region, and no LCA research on the local livestock production system has been carried out. This paper reviewed the framework and research status of livestock production LCA methods on the main sections and processes, including (1) the goal and scope definition of livestock husbandry LCA; (2) life cycle inventory (LCI); and (3) life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). Through review the domestic and foreign LCA literatures on animal husbandry production, we noticed that the frame and methodology of animal husbandry LCA had been constructed well in developed country. It had an importance instructing significance for the research and practical application of Chinese animal husbandry LCA. However, we also needed to recognize that due to the differences in the specific situations of the livestock industry between domestic and foreign country, foreign LCA experience should not be applied directly in China. First of all, in the northern pastoral areas of China, family farm is the main production system mode of local livestock production, unclear boundaries between herdsmen's life needs and livestock production inputs exist in this system, therefore, it is difficult to apply the foreign experiences directly. Secondly, it is really a challenge to collect the data required for livestock husbandry LCA, which is the biggest restrictive factor of LCA application in livestock production in China. Third, compared with the animal husbandry developed countries, such as European countries, the United States and Australia, due to the gaps in livestock production technology and management methods, the livestock production in the northern pastoral areas of China is affected more by natural factors, such as precipitation, and various marketing factors, including the market supplies and demands. This is also an important issue that must be considered in the research and application of animal husbandry LCA in China. In order to widely practice Chinese livestock husbandry LCA, the following aspects should be improved: (1) the investigation about material input and output of livestock husbandry production in the northern pastoral areas of China should be carried out to collect necessary data; (2) the Chinese animal husbandry LCA database should be established in order to improve the accuracy of livestock husbandry LCA; and (3) we should strengthen the interdisciplinary study to clarify the natural and social driving factors in the development of animal husbandry, and to provide data reference and technology support for the sustainable development of animal husbandry in the northern pastoral areas of China. |
