At the farm, a myriad of biological processes unfolds, where greenhouse gases are both absorbed and emitted.
On the farm, three key greenhouse gases - CO₂, methane, and nitrous oxide - play a central role in the climate equation. Among these, CO₂ is the least potent, yet it often serves as the common yardstick in everyday conversation as the level of greenhouse gas emissions are normally measured in CO₂ equivalents.
Some emissions we can control and reduce. These are the ones we and our farmers work with and on, e.g. through the Climate Track, by optimizing feed and reducing emissions from manure. Read more about the climate solutions of tomorrow.
Below, you can explore the average CO₂ equivalents per animal for Danish, Swedish and German pigs, along with the breakdown of emissions across various stages of the production process. These calculations draw upon data from our comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment model, which you can read more about here.
About half of the greenhouse gas emissions from our slaughter pigs derives from purchased feed. These emissions can be reduced by sourcing deforestation-free certified soy, which minimises the negative effects of Direct Land Use Change (dLUC) on emissions. We have set the target that all our suppliers of slaughter animals to use 100% responsibly produced soy and palm oil in feed from 2025. The illustration below shows the estimated effects of using deforestation free soy once fully implemented (the number marked with*).