Livestock Sector to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 18%... Significant Expansion of Manure Treatment Facilities and Waste Heat Utilization

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Announces '2030 Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Green Growth Strategy in the Livestock Sector'

The government has decided to significantly expand the distribution of reduction facilities that reduce large amounts of greenhouse gases generated during the composting and liquid fertilizer processes of livestock manure, and to increase the use of electricity and waste heat produced from manure, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the livestock sector by 18% by 2030.

On the 3rd, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced the "Livestock Sector 2030 Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Green Growth Strategy" containing these details at the 33rd National Policy Issues Ministerial Meeting chaired by the Prime Minister.

According to the Ministry, while greenhouse gas emissions in the crop sector within agriculture and livestock are expected to decrease due to a reduction in cultivated land, emissions in the livestock sector are projected to increase by 17%, from 9.4 million tons in 2018 to 11 million tons in 2030, if current practices continue. In particular, with continuous increases in livestock product consumption due to changes in dietary habits and income growth, livestock farming is also expected to increase, causing greenhouse gas emissions to surge to 11 million tons by 2030.

Therefore, this strategy aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the livestock sector through improvements in manure treatment methods and low-carbon feed management, and to establish a sustainable, environmentally friendly livestock industry foundation.

First, the Ministry plans to directly reduce emissions by managing greenhouse gas emission sources in the livestock sector. To reduce the large amounts of greenhouse gases generated during the composting and liquid fertilizer processes of manure, greenhouse gas reduction facilities will be expanded to cover up to 56% of farms. Additionally, the proportion of manure purification treatment will be increased to 25%, and the number of energy conversion facilities will be expanded to 30 locations. Furthermore, through low-carbon feed management and productivity improvements by livestock type, the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to about 7.7 million tons, an 18% reduction compared to 9.4 million tons in 2018. This would reduce 30% of the projected 2030 emissions (11 million tons).

Greenhouse gas reduction in other sectors will also be promoted by utilizing the livestock industry. Plans include expanding energy conversion complexes that use electricity and waste heat produced from biogas generated from livestock manure from the current one site to eight sites, and preparing measures to replace fossil fuels with livestock manure. Regulatory improvements and increased investment in production facilities will be made to expand the use of livestock manure biochar.

Moreover, the current high-input livestock farming practices will be shifted to low-input, low-emission structures by distributing smart equipment and solutions to more than 30% of full-time farmers, and to further activate resource-circulating agriculture linking livestock and crop farming, the feed use of agricultural by-products will be expanded.

Along with this, to expand the low-carbon transition foundation in the livestock sector, the development of greenhouse gas reduction technologies will be promoted, and programs such as expanding low-carbon livestock product certification and supporting feed costs for farms feeding low-methane and low-protein feed will be introduced. Voluntary carbon reduction by farms will be encouraged to enhance the implementation capacity of livestock farms.

The Ministry plans to focus on supporting facility improvements for livestock farms, improvements in manure treatment methods, the spread of smart livestock farming, and providing incentives to livestock farms by 2030. A public-private joint governance body composed of farms, consumer groups, and experts will be formed to monitor the low-carbon transition status and resolve difficulties arising in the field.

Kim Jeong-wook, Director of Livestock Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "Unlike the crop sector that produces plants, greenhouse gas emissions in the livestock sector are expected to steadily increase due to the rise in livestock product consumption, which is why this low-carbon strategy for the livestock sector was established." He added, "We hope that this measure will serve as an opportunity for our livestock industry to improve high-input practices and livestock manure issues, developing into a sustainable industry trusted by the public."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.