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A new report, establishes productivity as the starting point for dairy farmers wanting to reduce their carbon footprint. The least efficient farm type leaves a carbon footprint 17 times greater than the most efficient dairy farms.
The preliminary results, from a study on behalf of DeLaval conducted by the Dairy Research Centre of the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN), which compares the carbon footprints of dairy farms and farming systems in 38 countries, reveals remarkable differences between countries and farming systems.
It is well established that methane emission is the most important contribution to global warming of any dairy farm. According to the research the differences between farm types point out that methane emission from both enteric fermentation and manure management on farm have a larger impact in less intensive farming systems. The findings furthermore confirm that an optimized use of natural resources - such as water and land - combined with maximizing feed efficiency and animal health contribute to the lowering of the carbon footprint of any type of dairy farm through higher production efficiency.
“The study confirms that regardless of dairy farm type, the productivity per kg of live weight is the starting point for reducing the environmental footprint of any dairy farm,” says Tim Nicolaï, Vice President of Product Area Milk Quality & Farm Supplies at DeLaval, who has been supporting the IFCN network’s research from the start.
“The challenges for the dairy sector vary around the world, but some fundamentals are the same: the need for a sustainable environment to work in, and increased demand for milk. As a company, DeLaval believes that the most significant contribution we can make towards a sustainable environment is to develop solutions that enable our customers to reduce the environmental footprint of dairy farming through progress and increased efficiency,” says Tim Nicolaï.
Presentation and images available at:
www.sustainabledairyfarming.com
For more information on the report please contact:
Torsten Hemme, Chariman of IFCN Dairy Network
torsten.hemme@ifcndairy.org
Telephone: + 49 1795 4229 40
Sophie Löfberg, Public Relations DeLaval International AB
sophie.lofberg@delaval.com
Mobile +46 708 597 590 Fax +46 8 530 689 00
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