An increasing number of tools and perspectives are available to reduce both the direct and indirect effects on the environmental footprint of milk production on the farm, notes DairyGlobal. This helps build confidence and transparency around our progress in sustainable milk production.

Environmental Impact

The environmental impact of milk production is a hot topic at many global animal farming conferences today.

At the recent Animal Agtech Innovation Summit held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, it was reiterated that the entire food value chain is responsible for reducing the climate impact of food production.

However, most emissions from animal protein production (scope 3 emissions) are generated at the farm level. This is by far the largest part of total emissions from food production and is considered by some to be the most complex to solve.

Although it puts additional pressure on farmers, implementing more sustainable farming practices can also provide new opportunities to add value to their products and be more efficient and secure for the future. But this can only be done with the right measurements, calculations, and validation tools that allow farmers to be rewarded for their actions.

Industry Progress

Significant progress has already been made in the dairy industry. Dutch dairy farmers, for example, have reduced their carbon footprint per kilogram of milk by 35% between 1990 and 2019.

This research on greenhouse gas emissions from "feed to farm gate" was conducted by experts from Wageningen University and Research, Blonk Consultants, Schothorst Feed Research, and FrieslandCampina, and reviewed by independent scientists.

The research team concluded that many factors influenced this decrease, including less electricity and combined feed usage per kilogram of milk, reduced nitrogen application per hectare, and increased milk cow productivity. A clear overall factor is more efficient milk production since 1990, resulting in fewer emissions.

Dairy product processors are introducing new pricing models to reward farmers implementing sustainable farming practices. For instance, FrieslandCampina pays farmers an additional 1.5 euro cents per kilogram of milk when emissions (CO2 equivalent) are 0.9 kg or less per kilogram of milk.

At the Amsterdam summit, a speaker from the Danish dairy cooperative Arla explained their pricing model where farmers earn points for every sustainable measure they implement. Arla farmers receive 0.03 euro cents per kilogram of milk for each point they earn, up to a maximum of 3 euro cents.

Health and Efficiency

Despite this progress, there is still room for improvement and increased transparency regarding the environmental impact of milk production by applying enhanced practices and better progress monitoring.

Making emission reduction strategies more accessible and measurable for farmers and animal feed advisers is crucial on this journey.

Both direct and indirect interventions can be applied to reduce the environmental footprint of milk. An example of an indirect measure is improving the health, efficiency, and longevity of cows.

Increasing productive life is a focus in an increasing number of dairy-producing countries, as it not only has a sustainability component but also positively affects the farm economy and animal welfare.

Healthier cows simply produce more milk. For instance, key reasons for culling include poor fertility, mastitis, and lameness. Reducing the culling rate from 30% to 20% can reduce the on-farm environmental footprint of milk by up to 5%.

Healthier cows start with improving calf and heifer rearing and implementing nutritional changes and feed additives that enhance milk production efficiency. Reducing the age at first calving from 25.5 months to 22.0 months also increases efficiency and can reduce the on-farm environmental footprint of milk by up to 5%.

Data from Direct Measures

Direct effects on the environmental impact of milk can be generated by changing raw materials in the diet. MyFeedPrint, developed by Trouw Nutrition, is a tool that allows feed mills to identify and suggest feed ingredients with a lower environmental footprint than other ingredient options.

Providing dairy cattle with feeds that are more sustainable directly reduces the environmental footprint of the milk they produce. It can be as simple as changing a fat source.

While feeds (for lactating cows as well as calves and dry cows) account for a large portion of the total environmental impact of milk (about 40%), there are also other contributors, such as on-farm operations, manure management, and enteric fermentation.

To provide an accurate estimate of the total environmental impact per kilogram of milk produced, dairy experts can now use the MyMilkPrint service.

This life cycle assessment tool developed by Trouw Nutrition uses farm-specific inputs such as milk production, energy use, on-farm grown ingredients, purchased feeds, used feed additives, and nutritional data to allow dairy producers to see a complete picture of the direct and indirect effects of the changes they make on the farm.

The Journey Continues

Dairy products are highly nutritious, and with a growing population, the world needs such foods. However, the world also needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Approaching it correctly can help reduce the environmental impact of milk while ensuring that individual dairy operations remain viable and competitive.

And while sustainability is a global topic, the interventions applied or needed can vary by region and farm and depending on the goals set by the milk processor or government.

At the Animal AgTech Innovation Summit, one of the key messages was, therefore, "think globally, act locally."

The summit also concluded that positive changes are taking place in the livestock sector, thanks to innovation and recent technologies that have become available.

It is also important to share these positive success stories and the efforts that farmers are making.

Having more data to measure progress and be more transparent—generated by tools like MyFeedPrint and MyMilkPrint—is essential for achieving sustainability goals and conveying this positive message throughout the entire dairy value chain and beyond.