Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Pig Production by Reducing Protein Inputs: Strategies and Perspectives

In pig production systems, reducing dietary crude protein by incorporating feed-use amino acids and dynamically adjusting amino acid supply to animal needs can mitigate N₂O and overall greenhouse gas emissions without impairing growth or feed efficiency. This paper examines two strategies: two-phase feeding (2PAA+) and multiphase feeding (MPAA+). On-farm emissions reductions reach 510 kg CO₂e/sow/year (29%) for 2PAA+ and 692 kg CO₂e/sow/year (40%) for MPAA+. At the national level in France (2010–2030), these approaches could mitigate 7.4 and 3.7 MTCO₂e (22% and 11%). Implementation, supported by training and decision tools, also lowers feed costs and associated NH₃ and NO₃⁻ emissions.