(PhysOrg.com) -- Beef produced in feedlots has a smaller carbon
footprint than meat raised exclusively on pastures, according to
the surprise results of a new study. Beef produced in feedlots
has a smaller carbon footprint than meat raised exclusively on
pastures, according to the surprise results of a UNSW study of
the environmental impacts of red meat production. The study,
published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology,
also found that the greenhouse gas impact of Australian beef and
sheep meat production is equal to or lower than that of many
countries. The life cycle analysis of Australian meat
production, by the Sustainability Assessment Program at the UNSW
Water Research Centre (WRC), found that feedlot beef production
generated slightly less greenhouse gas per kilogram of meat than
grass-fed beef. Results from one NSW supply chain studied showed
feedlot production had a carbon footprint of 9.9kg of carbon
dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per kilo of "hot standard carcass
weight" (HSCW) - the u