Water Footprint of pigs slaughtered in the northeast region of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

Abstract This study estimated the water footprint of pigs slaughtered in the municipalities that participate in the Regional Council for the Development of Serra (Corede Serra, in Portuguese), located in the northeast region of Rio Grande do Sul State, in 2014. In order to determine the water footprint, we estimated the water consumed in the production of grains (corn and soybeans) used for animal feed, the water used for livestock watering, the water used for cleaning creation areas and the water consumed by animals during the growing and finishing phases. The total water footprint of slaughtered pigs was 0.19825 km3, the largest component of which was water used for the cultivation of grains (99.6%). The municipality of Nova Prata had the largest water footprint of Corede Serra (0.02343 km3 year1), followed by the municipalities of Paraí (0.02187 km3 year-1) and Serafina Corrêa (0.01658 km3 year-1). The municipalities of São Marcos (0.000006 km3 year-1), Bento Gonçalves (0,00002 km3 year-1) and Boa Vista do Sul (0.0004 km3 year-1) had the lowest water footprints, due to low corn productivity associated with the low number of hogs slaughtered. From this assessment, it was found that the management of water resources associated with pig chain production should include water used in the production of feed grain as well as the water used directly in animal husbandry.

摘要：本研究估算了2014年参与南里奥格兰德州东北部塞拉地区发展区域委员会（葡萄牙语简称Corede Serra）下辖各自治市的屠宰生猪水足迹（water footprint）。为核算水足迹，本研究分别统计了动物饲料用谷物（玉米与大豆）生产耗水量、牲畜饮水用水量、养殖场地清洁用水量，以及生猪生长育肥阶段的动物自身耗水量。本次研究涉及的屠宰生猪总水足迹为0.19825 km³，其中占比最高的组分为谷物种植耗水量（99.6%）。诺瓦普拉塔市的水足迹在Corede Serra辖下各自治市中居首，达0.02343 km³/年，其次为帕拉伊市（0.02187 km³/年）与塞拉菲纳·科雷亚市（0.01658 km³/年）。圣马科斯市（0.000006 km³/年）、本托·贡萨尔维斯市（0.00002 km³/年）与南博阿维斯塔市（0.0004 km³/年）的水足迹最低，原因在于当地玉米生产力低下且生猪屠宰量较少。基于本次评估结果，生猪产业链相关水资源管理应同时涵盖饲料谷物生产用水与畜牧业直接耗用水资源。