TITLE:
Benchmarking Climate Efficiency in UK Cattle Farming: Lessons for Emissions Mitigation in Emerging Agricultural Economies
AUTHORS:
Ghina Anggraeni, Chun-Nan Lin
KEYWORDS:
Climate Efficiency, Data Envelopment Analysis, Cattle Production, Methane Emissions, Agricultural Policy, United Kingdom, Indonesia
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.12 No.9,
September
18,
2025
ABSTRACT: The livestock sector remains a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly through cattle production. This study evaluates the climate efficiency of the United Kingdom’s cattle meat sector between 2016 and 2021 using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) under a Constant Returns to Scale (CRS) model. Key input variables included agricultural land use, emission intensity, methane emissions, and total animal emissions, while cattle meat production served as the output variable. The analysis reveals that, despite fluctuations, average efficiency scores remained below the optimal threshold, indicating that up to 4.33% of land and 7.06% of emissions intensity could potentially be reduced without compromising output. The study identifies 2020 as the only fully efficient year, while the remaining years exhibit varying degrees of inefficiency. These findings underscore opportunities for resource optimization and mitigation within the UK cattle sector. Drawing from the UK’s policy experience, this study discusses implications for developing countries, particularly Indonesia, where livestock-related GHG emissions continue to rise. The results support the need for targeted interventions, such as emission-efficient feed strategies and improved land use practices, as part of broader Net-Zero commitments.