Assessing dairy farm sustainability using whole-farm modelling and life cycle analysis

• Published in: Advances in animal biosciences Vol. 7; no. 3; pp. 259 - 260
• Main Authors: Mas, K., Pardo, G., Galán, E., del Prado, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.11.2016
• Subjects: Agricultural policy; Agricultural production; Animal sciences; Animal welfare; Carbon footprint; Dairy cattle; Dairy farms; Emission standards; Environmental impact; Farm buildings; Greenhouse gases; Life cycle analysis; Livestock farming; Milk production; Sustainability; LCA; farm scale; modelling; sustainability; C footprint
• ISSN: 2040-4700; 2040-4719
• DOI: 10.1017/S2040470016000340

New green payments across farms within the latest Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform and the removal of the EU milk quota system is already resulting in large changes for EU dairy farmers such as a price decline and an increase in raw milk production. Apart from lack of profitability, EU dairy farming is also subject to large pressures to reduce their environmental impact and improve standards of animal welfare. In order to study these issues together, generally, methodologies are either too non-specific (use standard emission factors) or lack the appropriate level of complexity. In this sense, Del Prado et al developed a modelling framework that coupled models and a life cycle analysis (LCA) in order to analyse N and C flows, and emissions from dairy farms. Using this modelling framework, we aim to analyse the N and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dairy cattle farms in northern Spain and to relate their milk N and C footprint with different sustainability attributes in relation to environmental impacts welfare and economic indicators.