A profile of South African sustainable animal production and greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract

South Africa has a precolonial livestock production legacy that is carried through to modern times. • The livestock industry through its structural organizations, endorsed the country’s commitments to the UNFCCC (1997), the Kyoto Protocol (2002), and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (2016) to actively manage greenhouse gas emission (GHGe), along the producer-to-consumer value chain, and to promote sustainable animal production practices. • The genetic base of the livestock industry is enriched by a combination of original indigenous and exotic cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, and swine in combination with exotic genotypes. • The livestock industry and government actively support developing sustainable animal production systems aimed at reducing GHGe. • The South African livestock industry acknowledges and protects the original, indigenous livestock whose adaptive traits have been incorporated in composite breeds as a component of promoting sustainable livestock production and managing GHGe emissions.