Product Environment Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR)

The PEFCR Feed for Food-Producing Animals, published in April 2018, contains an EU-harmonised methodology to measure comprehensively the environmental performance of feed production across 16 impact categories, the largest share of the environmental footprint of an animal product (e.g. poultry/pig meat, fish, eggs) being determined by the feed production stage.

The PEF, Product Environmental Footprint, was launched as an initiative by the European Commission under the Single Market for Green Products Communication in 2013. 

The PEFCR Feed covers 16 environmental impact categories, including climate change. The foundation of the sector specific  environmental footprinting methodology for the feed and livestock sector was laid with the publication in 2015 of the FAO-LEAP Guidelines.

Access to secondary LCA data on feed ingredients is also a crucial element in the footprint calculation of feed formulation. The European Commission has made a free Life Cycle Inventory available.