Dog food can have a much greater impact on climate change than its owner might imagine, especially if it is fed premium brands with a high proportion of meat. TASR writes about it according to the website euronews.com Researchers from the British universities of Edinburgh and Exeter recalculated the carbon footprint of 996 types of dog food in the United Kingdom. It was pellets and minimally processed meat together with various ingredients. They published their study in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
According to their calculations, UK dog food production contributes about 0.9 to 1.3 percent of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissionsin the case of the food system it is up to 3.7 percent of GHG emissions. If dogs around the world ate the same diet as dogs in Britain, producing their food would produce more than half the annual emissions of commercial aircraft.
According to scientists, dog food has a different impact on the environment. Dog owners are often torn between the idea that dogs are carnivorous “wolves” and a desire to be environmentally friendly, says John Harvey of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. “The pet food industry should ensure that meat not normally consumed by humans is used and that labeling (feed) is clear. These steps can help us have healthy, well-fed dogs with less impact on the planet.” Harvey said.
If the feed contains a lot of top quality meat that could otherwise be consumed by humans, this increases emissions. The use of slaughter meat components, for which there is a low demand, as well as the addition of vegetable components, in turn, limits the impact on the environment.
