A study on key issues in Korea's pig carbon-footprint and data construction for advanced calculation of domestic pig's carbon-footprint

As Korea strives for carbon neutrality by 2050, accurate quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the livestock sector has become a critical priority. This study conducted a cradle-to-farm gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of domestic pig production to identify key issues in carbon footprint (CF) calculation and address significant data gaps regarding feed composition. The functional unit was defined as 115.26 kg of live weight per pig head. The results revealed a total CF of 993.21 kg CO₂-eqivalent (CO₂-eq.) per head, with feed production accounting for a predominant 76.31% of total emissions. This share is notably higher than global averages, primarily due to the Korea’s heavy structural reliance on carbon-intensive imported feed grains. To address the inherent opacity and information asymmetry of commercial feed data, a stochastic approach utilizing Monte Carlo simulation (1,000 iterations) was employed. While variability in dietary formulations across growth stages was relatively stable (CV = 2.30%), the geographical origin of primary feed ingredients, specifically corn, introduced substantial uncertainty. The CF of corn varied from 0.23 to 1.86 kg CO₂-eq./kg depending on its origin, leading to a 9.35% coefficient of variation (CV) in feed-related emissions and an 18.0% fluctuation in the final CF per unit of live weight. These findings demonstrate that ingredient sourcing is as critical as nutritional efficiency in determining the environmental impact of swine production. The study concludes that establishing a representative, standardized national pig feed composition database is imperative for enhancing the transparency and reliability of GHG accounting. Such a foundation will provide a robust baseline for developing effective mitigation strategies and ensuring the livestock industry’s alignment with national climate commitments.