New Study Reveals the Best Way to Cut Beef’s Carbon Footprint
Beef is often cited as the food product with the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during its production. However, what is less known is that the environmental impact of beef production varies widely. Different cattle breeds grow at different rates and produce more or less meat per animal, and livestock can be fed either human-grade cereals or non-edible sources such as grass or by-products from the food and beverage industry. Additionally, cattle can be raised on pasture or in feedlots. Until now, it has been difficult to determine how these management choices influence beef’s carbon footprint.
A groundbreaking new study entitled “Grazing or Confining — Decoding Beef’s Environmental Footprint” and published in Environmental Impact Assessment Review sheds light on this issue, revealing that beef production’s GHG emissions can range from 124 kg to as low as 15 kg CO₂e per 100 g of protein, depending on how the cattle are raised.
Researchers from Instituto Superior Técnico and Faculdade de Ciências (University of Lisbon) found that pasture-based systems consistently result in lower emissions than feedlot confinement—but only when steers receive adequate nutritional supplementation. If grazing animals are not properly fed, confinement may be the lower-emission option, challenging the common belief that pasture-raised beef is always more sustainable. The study also highlights the significant impact of breed selection, as some cattle breeds naturally have a lower environmental footprint.
These findings provide crucial insights for policymakers, farmers, and the meat industry, guiding the development of climate-smart livestock strategies. With global beef demand expected to rise, optimizing production systems to minimize emissions while maintaining productivity is essential. The study emphasizes that there is no universal solution for sustainable beef—factors like management practices, breed selection, and pasture quality all play critical roles. While some of the challenges in reducing beef’s carbon footprint are beyond farmers’ control, others can be addressed through more environmentally friendly practices.
This aligns with the objectives of the Horizon Europe project STEP UP, which is working to revolutionise European livestock production by integrating data-driven approaches to sustainability. The project also introduces new indicators and methodologies to assess and reduce emissions in livestock farming, ensuring that the industry moves towards a more climate-resilient and resource-efficient future.
For more information, read the full study at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195925525000435 or contact the principal investigator of this research Ricardo Teixeira at ricardo.teixeira@tecnico.ulisboa.pt. And for more information about STEP UP visit our official Website https://horizon-stepup.eu/
Paper
Grazing or Confining — Decoding Beef’s Environmental Footprint
Environmental Impact Assessment Review, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2025.107846
Tiago G. Moraisa, Manuel P. dos Santos, M.P.¹, Lúcia Barão², Tiago Domingos³, Ricardo F.M. Teixeira¹
- MARETEC – Marine, Environment and Technology Centre, LARSyS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
- Center for Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, University of Lisbon, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal
- Terraprima—Serviços Ambientais, Sociedade Unipessoal, Lda., 2135-199 Samora Correia, Portugal
About STEP UP
As part of the Horizon Europe initiative, STEP UP is a pioneering project dedicated to upgrading European livestock production systems for greater sustainability. Running from January 2024 to December 2027, STEP UP brings together a consortium of 16 partners, led by Teagasc, Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority.
The project aims to enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and improve animal welfare by analyzing Innovative Livestock Production Systems (ILPS) and applying data-driven improvements to over 35 European Livestock Production Systems (ELPS). By introducing new sustainability indicators, assessment methodologies, and fostering engagement with over 3,000 farmers across Europe, STEP UP is set to revolutionize livestock farming, aligning it with the principles of circularity, transparency, and resilience in the face of climate change.
About Instituto Superior Técnico -Partner in STEP UP Consortium
Instituto Superior Técnico was founded on May 23, 1911, and has since contributed to societal development by promoting excellence in higher education in the fields of Architecture, Engineering, Science, and Technology. The institution conducts cutting-edge Research, Development, and Innovation (R&D&I) activities that are essential for maintaining educational standards at the highest international levels.
With 23 research, development, and innovation units, Técnico has played a crucial role over the past century in advancing knowledge and contributing to Portugal’s economic and social development. Sustainability and environmental issues are central themes in many of the research projects carried out by Técnico’s various research units.
About MARETEC – Representative of Instituto Superior Técnico in STEP UP
The study was led by researchers from MARETEC – the Marine, Environment, and Technology Center at Instituto Superior Técnico. MARETEC is dedicated to analyzing and developing solutions for environmental and sustainability challenges through a highly interdisciplinary approach, grounded in fundamental physical principles and intensive use of modeling and computational tools. It is internationally recognized for developing the MOHID Water and MOHID Land modeling systems for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, respectively, as well as for applying thermodynamic principles to understand the growth of organisms and economies. These tools are practically applied in areas such as estuary management, oil spill response, precision agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem services.
MARETEC operates within the LARSyS Associated Laboratory – the Laboratory for Robotics and Engineering Systems – a consortium of four highly interdisciplinary research centers that integrate expertise in systems, data science, machine learning, environment, energy, economics, social sciences, humanities, and the arts.
