Understanding and solving the use of veterinary plastic consumables in pork production

To better understand the impact of single use veterinary consumable plastic use in pork production and look for options to reduce its impact.

The pork industry is keen to support the transition to a circular economy. While the industry is well ahead on keep organics in use, there is a lack of data on how much plastic is generated by the industry. By understanding the amount of plastic generated from one essential part of the businesses – veterinary consumables, this project is the first steps to looking at the broader system. The project identified the most common sources of single use plastic as artificial insemination equipment (catheters, semen pouches) and personal protective equipment (PPE) like gloves. The project then considered some different ways of managing these waste streams that might improvement environmental outcomes such as certified biodegradable gloves and bulk insemination with an insemination gun.

Value for producers

• Understanding and quantifying where the most waste is created provides business insight that can drive improvement in resource use and potentially reduce costs over time.
   
• Understanding current options to change practices and their limitations in on-farm application can be used to demonstrate the industry is committed to reducing plastic waste but there are no current easy win solutions.

Key findings

• The pork industry producers 58 tonnes of veterinary plastic annually
   
• This equates to 7,651,000 units of plastic that are disposed to landfill, incinerated or buried on-farm
   
• Insemination and PPE material generate the most wasted units and associated waste. This is problematic as they are not designed to be reused or recycled but are essential for the hygiene of workers and sows.
   
• Major shifts in the use practices and supply chains are needed to move away from single-use items. It will take the pork industry, equipment manufactures and suppliers and producers on the ground to all act together to make a change.