Location: GLO - Global
This dataset represents the production of 1 kg of live weight of beef cattle in a large commercial feedlot. In order to be consistent with the structure of the ecoinvent database this global dataset was created as an exact copy of the local South African dataset. The production volume of the global dataset is derived from the global import of cattle heads (FAOSTAT, 2013), with cattle heads allocated in the same proportion as the South African product mix.

Weaned calves enter the feedlot at seven months of age and remain in the feedlot for a period of four and a half months. For the first third of their time at the feedlot (adaptation phase), the cattle spend four hours per day on pasture. After that cattle are kept wholly in pens (finishing phase). Manure is periodically collected from the pens and sold, with a portion of manure (assumed to be 10%) draining into anaerobic ponds. For consistency with other ecoinvent datasets, solid and liquid manure are considered to be by-products, although at the feedlot providing data for the dataset, only the dry manure is sold, with wet manure sprayed out onto the pasture.
Direct emissions from the cattle (enteric methane), as well as direct and indirect emissions from manure (ammonia, nitrous oxide and methane), are calculated using best available methods (IPCC) with regional adaptations. Manure is deposited in the pens (dry lots) where it accumulates until collected and sold, or it drains into collection ponds. During the adaption phase, manure is also deposited on pasture whilst grazing. This manure is not collected (i.e. cattle manure as an organic fertiliser of the pasture is only accounted for in terms of field emissions). Pasture is predominantly natural, thus there is no fertiliser, seed etc. included in the dataset although around 20% is irrigated. Emissions of heavy metals to soil and surface water estimated from manure left on pasture during grazing is after Nemecek and Schnetzer (2012). The factors applied in the equations are not South African specific and the calculated emissions are thus highly uncertain (especially leached emissions where South African conditions are likely to be very different).
Undefined unit processes (UPRs) are the unlinked, multi-product activity datasets that form the basis for all of the system models available in the ecoinvent database. This is the way the datasets are obtained and entered into the database by the data providers. These activity datasets are useful for investigating the environmental impacts of a specific activity (gate-to-gate), without regard to its upstream or downstream impacts.