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Written question asked by James Paice (Conservative) on Monday, 16 July 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 18 July 2007. It was answered by Jonathan Shaw (Labour) on Wednesday, 25 July 2007 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Livestock Industry: Research

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the research projects which have been funded by his Department into the impact of livestock husbandry on climate change.
Answer

DEFRA (and previously MAFF) has, since 1990, funded a specific programme of research on measuring and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture—including the contribution of livestock husbandry. I have arranged for the list of all current and recently completed projects under DEFRA’s existing agriculture and climate change research programme to be placed in the Library of the House. A list of projects going back to 1997 will also be placed in the Library of the House.As an example of the work in which we are investing under this programme, we have recently commissioned a three-year project to identify nutritional strategies for ruminants that will reduce methane and nitrogen emissions.There are other relevant projects outside the agriculture and climate change research programme that also explore the impacts of livestock on climate change. These include a study on environmental burdens and resource use in the production of agricultural and horticultural commodities ‘(Determining the environmental burdens and resource use in the production of agricultural and horticultural commodities. DEFRA project report IS020);’ a report on the Environmental Impacts of Food Production and Consumption; and a life-cycle assessment of certain food commodities, including beef and lamb ‘(Comparative life-cycle assessment of food commodities procured for UK consumption through a diversity of supply chains (FO0103)).’ We are also working in partnership with the dairy sector to produce a ““Milk Roadmap””, which will help us collectively to identify and work to reduce some of the environmental impacts associated with the production and consumption of milk.The complete catalogue of DEFRA and MAFF-funded research on agriculture and the environment was recently summarised in the report ‘DEFRA Research In Agriculture and Environmental Protection 1990-2005, Summary and Analysis (ES0127)’ pages 122 to 149 of the report look specifically at research into greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
150633; 463 c1089W
Session
2006-07
Related items
Deposited Paper DEP 07/1887
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Deposited papers
House of Commons
Subjects
Climate change Livestock Livestock industry Research
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk