What’s the carbon footprint of lamb?
Lamb is a popular meat often eaten as part of celebrations. You may know that beef has the highest carbon footprint of any food product, but what do you know about the carbon footprint of lamb?
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”72%” width_tablet=”72%” width_phone=”85%” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”7px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.20.2″ text_font=”||||||||” link_font_size=”20px” link_line_height=”2.3em” header_font=”||||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_line_height=”3.3em” header_2_line_height=”1.1em” header_3_text_color=”#F70B8B” header_3_font_size=”30px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” header_font_size_tablet=”40px” header_font_size_phone=”35px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}” header_3_font_size__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”]Carbon Footprint of Lamb
Let’s compare the carbon footprint of lamb to other food items.
A portion of lamb (160g) produces 3,330g CO₂e*
That’s…
223% more than turkey
1,010% more than tofu
2,927% more than lentils
52% less than beef
equivalent to driving 8.3 miles in a car
*CO₂e means carbon dioxide equivalent and measures total greenhouse gases
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2" _builder_version="4.20.2" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_image src="http://thefloopapp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/carbon-footprint-lamb.webp" alt="A purple footprint with 740g demonstrates the carbon footprint of cheese. Two wedges of cheese sit to the left of it." title_text="carbon-footprint-lamb" align="center" _builder_version="4.20.2" _module_preset="default" max_width="62%" global_colors_info="{}"][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.20.2" _module_preset="default" custom_padding="||27px|||" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.20.2" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.20.2" _module_preset="default" header_4_text_color="#F70B8B" global_colors_info="{}"]Get the Floop app and discover the carbon footprint of even more ingredients
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-1px|auto||auto||” custom_padding=”|||3px||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” header_3_font_size=”20px” custom_padding=”|26px||2px||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]Where does the carbon footprint of lamb come from?
Lamb has the second highest carbon footprint of food products, producing more emissions than chicken, pork, or plant-based alternatives. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) help us to determine how and when greenhouse gases are released at different stages of lamb production.
Methane
The main greenhouse gas produced by lamb is methane, similar to beef. Sheep, goats and cows belong to a group called ruminants, an animal group well known for farting and burping lots. Methane is a greenhouse gas that has a 28-times worse global warming impact than carbon dioxide.
Animal Feed
Lambs and sheep are often pasture-fed and topped up with feed. The feed can include soy, oils, clover and chicory. Each of these crops has its own carbon footprint and environmental impact.
Transport
A third of lamb in the UK is imported with most coming from New Zealand and Australia. Lamb products need extra energy to be refrigerated during transit and are generally transported to the UK by sea. Ships have a slightly lower carbon footprint compared to air transport, but long distances still produce a significant carbon footprint.
Where does lamb come from?
Lamb comes from young sheep. There are plenty of lamb producers around the world with many across Europe.
British farmers produce most of the lamb eaten in the UK and roughly one-third is imported from abroad. The majority of UK imports are from New Zealand and Australia, with almost 40 million tons from these countries in 2021.
With so many European lamb producers, why are we importing lamb from the other side of the world? It all comes down to costs. Lambs can be raised in New Zealand’s climate year-round. Production costs are also lower than in Europe and there are fewer disease cases among animals.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”97.3%” custom_padding=”|||0px||” global_colors_info=”{}”]Are there other ways lamb impacts the environment?
Yes. Although lamb production needs less water than beef, it’s still high compared to meat alternatives, vegetables and fruits. On average, it takes roughly nine litres of water to produce one kilogram of lamb.
When incorrectly managed, sheep farming can have harmful environmental impacts like soil degradation, water contamination and deforestation.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Tips for choosing more sustainable lamb
Cutting back on the amount of lamb you eat, or completely removing it from your diet, is the simplest way to reduce the environmental impact of this high-carbon ingredient. However, you can still enjoy lamb as part of a sustainable diet.
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Save for seasonal celebrations. If you continue eating lamb, save it for special occasions between late-Spring to early-Autumn. Lamb is a popular dish at Easter in early-Spring but this is too early in the year for British lambs to be ready. Eating lamb outside of peak season relies on imports from the other side of the world.
- Buy local. Buy lamb from your local butcher. They will know where your meet comes from, the farm’s animal welfare practices, and you’ll reduce the food miles associated with your lamb. Plus, you’ll support a local business!
- Choose 100% grass-fed. Grass-fed lamb reduces reliance on feed crops, reducing the carbon footprint and environment impact of lambs’ time in the field.
Sustainable substitutes for lamb
- Switch lamb to meat with a lower carbon footprint. For example, instead of lamb koftas, try koftas made with turkey instead.
- Plant-based meat substitutes can offer similar textures and flavours to lamb and meat with a lower carbon footprint.
- Replace minced lamb with lentils flavoured with herbs and spices, like mint, to recreate the flavours of your favourite lamb dishes.