Environmental trade-offs in UK beef production

There are many choices a farmer makes about reducing the environmental impact of beef production.  This project will evaluate trade-offs which may reduce, or counter, the benefits of specific mitigation plans and help identify optimised solutions. Partnering with M&S plc and their supply partners, the project will develop real-world case studies of beef farms for analysis. The project will aim to provide evidence and advice to M&S to limit negative trade-offs. It  will evaluate the environmental impact of multiple farms, applying specified farm practices designed to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, using a leading farm-level GHG emissions calculator and will investigate whether there are options that are win-win (where all GHG emissions intensities reduce). The project will use a climate emulator to consider whether cases with trade-offs work out positively or negatively for reducing global warming at different timescales. 

Project lead: Michelle Cain (Cranfield University)

Project collaborators: Andrew Loftus (Loftus Farms and Chair NFU Livestock Board, North of England)  Peter Kennedy (Marks and Spencer plc), Myles Alle  (University of Oxford), Jessica Zionts (University of Oxford)