Canadian beef cattle are using less water than they
used to several decades ago.
It’s a trend that is expected to continue, says the
Canadian beef industry based on a recently-completed study which found it takes
17 per cent less water to produce a pound of beef now than in 1981.
The reduction is partly from less water used to raise
crops cattle are fed and partly from cow management.
The study was done by researchers at the University of
Manitoba and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Lethbridge.
It involved extensive data integration, modelling, and
assessment of numerous factors associated with the water footprint of Canadian
beef over a 30-year period, using the data-rich principal census years of 1981
and 2011 as the reference.
More can be gained through additional advances in
feeding efficiencies and in reducing water requirements for feed crop and
pasture production., the study says.
It is part of a larger project “Defining the Environmental
Footprint of Canadian Beef Production”, which previously found similar
reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and resource use intensities
related to Canadian beef production over the same period.
“Our focus has been to develop an accurate assessment
of the Canadian beef industry’s water footprint and how that is evolving with
advances in production efficiencies,” said Dr. Tim McAllister, a research
scientist at AAFC Lethbridge and one of the study’s principal investigators.
“Our results show very clearly the water footprint per
kilogram of beef produced has been reduced over the years and that the industry
is operating at a high level of sustainability from a water use perspective.
There are also opportunities for continuous improvement through further
advances. . .”
Drinking water consumed by cattle accounted for less
than one per cent of total water use related to beef production, while feed
production – i.e. water required, including rain, to grow pasture, crops or
produce by-product feeds – accounted for 99 per cent of total water use related
to beef production.
For crops, increased yields accounted for the
water-use reduction. For cattle it was higher carcass weights, improved feed
efficiency and growth rates.
“Water is a precious resource and Canadian beef
producers are committed to supporting responsible water use across our
production systems,” said Bryan Thiessen, manager of Namaka Farms near
Strathmore, Alberta, and chairman of the Beef Cattle Research Council.
“Knowledge is critical. Studies like this one are
helping us build a comprehensive understanding of the industry’s past, present
and future environmental footprint, to not only operate efficiently and
responsibly but also to continue to contribute globally as leaders in
sustainable beef production,” he said.
