1. Greenhouse gases
Dairy farms emit greenhouse gases (GHG), which have an impact on our climate. For obvious reasons, it’s not possible to reduce a cow’s methane emissions completely, but it can be significantly reduced, for example through optimised feed composition.6 The reduction of emissions on dairy farms focuses on methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), and to a lesser extent on carbon dioxide (CO2). Feeding and manure management offers opportunities for reduction. Farms can also contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gasses by taking measures that sequester carbon in soils through the increase of soil organic matter.
2. Soil quality and nutrients
Improving soil quality focuses on optimal crop yields combined with adding to soil ecosystem functions, such as water regulation, nutrient cycling, soil microbial and plant biodiversity. Nutrient application will be adapted to minimise nutrient losses like nitrogen and phosphorus to water and air. Sequestration of carbon in soils is an important measure to improve soil quality and to contribute to the reduction of GHGs in the air.
3. Biodiversity
Land use for growing dairy cattle feed will impact local and global biodiversity. Developing best practices that contribute to biodiversity is an emerging topic in dairy research. Examples of these practices include the reduction of emissions that are harmful to nature, less use of biocides, and less use of soy from areas at risk of deforestation. Collaboration with nature conservation organisations, landscape restoration and protection of rare species also contribute.
4. Water quality and quantity
Figure 1: The seven primary topics for sustainable dairy production. (Source: WUR)
Water can have many roles on the farm, including facilitating crop growth, being used as drinking water for animals, and for cleaning. Minimising the impact of the farm on the quality of surface and ground water is the first sustainable objective. This is connected to the use of fertiliser, manure, biocides and other types of water contamination.
The second one is to use water efficiently, both for crop and milk production. A thorough report about the water footprint of dairy production in Ethiopia (2019) from Raquel de Paiva Seroa da Motta can be downloaded for free at https://doi.org/10.18174/494591. Another noteworthy article is ‘Evaluation of Virtual Water and Water Sustainability of Dairy Production in Trentino Alto Adige (North-Eastern Italy)’.
5. Animal welfare and health
Creating conditions that enable normal patterns of animal behaviour by adjustments of housing and application of grazing will have a positive impact on welfare and health. The introduction of animal measurements to monitor welfare is an important field of research to better understand health and happiness. Feet and legs, mastitis and heat stress are important issues that require further improvement to increase animal welfare (Figure 1).
6. Circular food production
The aim of a circular food system is to optimise the use of available biomass resources in the world. One of the goals in this circular approach is to avoid the use of human-edible biomass (such as grains and pulses) as food source for animals. The task for the dairy sector is to reconsider the position of the dairy cow in a circular food system. Future feed rations should focus more on residuals from plant production and by-products from the food industry. Looking further into the future, scientists are examining the use of seaweed to reduce enteric methane emissions from cattle.7
7. Rural livelihoods
Figure 2: Dairy production and marketing are operating in a dynamic context of economic, biophysical and socio-political drivers and trends. (Van der Lee, 2014)
The dairy sector contributes to the economic viability and resilience of many rural communities and to supplying nutritious food in many countries. Building stronger dairy chains that respond to market needs and secure safe and nutritious dairy foods are crucial goals in dairy development. Incorporating sustainability themes, including the optimal use of land resources, is vital to build strong international dairy chains that contribute to economic growth.
Aside from the seven above-mentioned main dairy sustainability topics, it should not be forgotten that every dairy sector is part of a broader economy and its opportunities for further development depend not only on the characteristics of the farming systems and the supply and demand for dairy products, but also on the broader context. Figure 2 presents this broader context around the dairy sector, showing three partly overlapping factors: the economic (investors), the biophysical (agronomists) and the socio-political (policymakers). As anticipated, dedicated and decisive stakeholders represent the best chance that the dairy development plan will be translated into action.
According to experts from Wageningen University and Research, dairy farmers or processors can achieve their sustainability goals in five steps or less (Figure 3).
Consumers and sustainable dairy
But what is the opinion and the behaviour of consumers towards sustainable dairy products, since not all innovation impacts them in the same way?
Figure 3: Infographic process. (Source: WUR)
Product innovations are more easily noticed by consumers than, for example, process and system innovations, which are more difficult for the consumer to understand unless they are embedded in specific quality cues.8 Also, innovation in traditional sectors like dairy farming can be a cause of cognitive dissonance, because consumers tend to reject innovations that can be perceived as altering the authenticity of traditional foods.9 Studies have shown that consumers tend to accept processing-technology innovations on the condition that they do not modify the intrinsic attributes of the product.10
A recent online research study on consumer perceptions of selected innovations in organic and low-input dairy systems gathered data from six countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy and the UK). The selected innovations were the three following novel sustainable production strategies: agroforestry, prolonged maternal feeding of young cattle, and alternative protein sources. The data showed that prolonged maternal feeding is the novel production practice that has the highest level of acceptance by consumers in all of these countries, with the least accepted practice being alternative protein sources.
Unexpectedly, increased availability of home‑grown feed, which is grounded on both farmer and societal interests for higher input self-sufficiency and more sustainable production practices, was not appreciated by consumers, although their intentions appear to be dependent on their moral norms. One explanation might be that the consumers perceived the innovative practice as mainly of benefit to farmers, as they might not have fully understood the importance in terms of food safety and traceability of reducing the outsourcing of protein by farmers.11
About the author
Christina Marantelou is a Food Scientist with a Master’s in Nanobiotechnology. She began her career in research and her experience has since expanded into production management, co-creating and presenting her own TV show for the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation.
References
- www.wur.nl/en/show/working-towards-sustainable-dairy-production.htm
- Lopez-Ridaura S., Van der Werf H., Paillat JM, Le Bris B. Environmental evaluation of transfer and treatment of excess pig slurry by life cycle assessment. Journal of Environmental Management. , February 2009;90(2): 1296-1304
- Djekic I., Miocinovic J., Tomasevic I., Smigic N., Tomic N. Environmental life-cycle assessment of various dairy products. Journal of Cleaner Production., 1 April 2014;68: 64-72.
- FAO, IDF Dairy sustainability outlook, 2019; Issue No 2.
- Ritchie H., Roser M., Environmental impacts of food production. Published online at OurWorldInData.org., 2020 Retrieved from: ‘https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food’ [Online Resource]
- www.arlafoods.co.uk/about-arla/our-responsibility/sustainable-dairy-farming/
- Vijn S., Compart DP., Dutta N., Foukis A., Hess M., Hristov A.N., Kalscheur K.F., , Kebreab E., Nuzhdin SV., Price N.N., Sun Y., Tricarico J.M., Turzillo A., Weisbjerg MR., Yarish C. and Kurt TD. Key Considerations for the Use of Seaweed to Reduce Enteric Methane Emissions From Cattle. Front. Vet. Sci., 23 December 2021.
- Grunert KG., Innovation in Agri-Food systems. Wageningen Academic Publishers The Netherlands. 2005; 57-82.
- Almli VL., Verbeke V., Vanhonacker F., Naes T., Hersleth M., General image and attribute perceptions of traditional food in six European countries. Food Quality and Preference, January 2011; 22 (1): 129-138.
- Pieniaka Z., Verbeke W., Vanhonacker F., Guerrero L., Hersleth M. Association between traditional food consumption and motives for food choice in six European countries. Appetite, August 2009; 53(1): 101-108.
- Naspetti S, Mandolesi S., Buysse J., Latvala T., Nicholas P., Padel S., Van Loo EJ & Zanoli R. Consumer perception of sustainable practices in dairy production. Agricultural and Food Economics, 1 February 2021; 9(1).
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my gratitude to Wageningen Livestock Research Organisation, especially Jelle Zijlstra, for providing expert guidance and image material.
