Fresh air, abundant water resources and a high level of expertise available make Finland an excellent place for food production.
Studies show that fresh air, abundant water resources and a high level of expertise available make Finland an excellent place for food production (sources: European Environment Agency, World Bank, Ruokatieto, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Luke).
Environmental impacts of food production vary significantly across different parts of the world. Climate impacts are global and shared by all, but issues such as water availability or overgrazing are local challenges. For example, the climate impacts of beef production differ greatly between countries due to differences in climate, soil conditions and production methods.
Although meat production generates greenhouse gas emissions both in Finland and elsewhere in the world, for example through methane emissions from manure, and depends on fossil energy sources and fuels, Finland offers favourable conditions for beef production. At HKFoods, we work to reduce our climate impacts both in our own production and throughout our value chain.
Grass cultivation and grazing are favourable in Finland, where irrigation does not require artificial watering, unlike in areas such as the western United States, Australia and New Zealand. Regardless of geographical location, cattle can use grass forage as their feed, and fields with year-round vegetation effectively bind carbon from the atmosphere. According to research, grazing can support biodiversity, for example by helping to maintain traditional rural biotopes (source: the Finnish Food Authority, in Finnish). We aim to promote grazing practices that support biodiversity on our contract farms.
Special conditions for beef production
In Finland, we have good conditions for beef production. Did you know that:
- Beef production consumes a lot of water, but it is not a problem in Finland because we have abundant water resources
- (Source: Natural Resources Institute Finland).
- Forests are rarely cleared for agricultural use, as there is sufficient arable land suitable for feed production.
- Foreign feed raw materials, such as imported soy, are hardly needed to supplement domestic feed crops. The use of soy in cattle feed has almost completely ceased in Finland (Source: WWF). Feed used in HKFoods’ cattle chain contains no soy. In some EU countries, imported soy is still used in cattle feed. (Source: Finnwatch)
- Grass is a natural source of roughage for cattle and helps maintain normal rumen function. Cattle need grass for their wellbeing.
Finland has extensive areas of arable land that are suitable only for grass production
- Finland is the world’s northernmost agricultural country, and grass used by cattle can be cultivated even in the northernmost regions.
- Perennial grass areas are efficient in nutrient binding, like phosphorous (P) and nitrogen (N). When grass fields are not ploughed, the risk of nutrient leakage into waterways is low.
- Perennial grassland can sequester carbon in the soil, which is one of the factors affecting the overall emissions from beef production.
- Animal manure from cattle farms can be used to fertilise future crops while also improving the quality of agricultural soil.
- From the point of view of biodiversity (incl. numerous plant and insect species) and environmental impact assessment, cattle and grass are closely interconnected.
Did you know: Meat and dairy production chains are interconnected in Finland? Most of the meat come from dairy breeds.
