2020/03/06 by Catherine Brocas, Samuel Danilo, Brocas, Catherine +7
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Agricultural Economics and Policy #Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact
paper · doi:10.15454/dh20-qf53
In France, cattle farming contributes about to 12% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CITEPA, 2019). Aware of the importance of reducing the milk carbon footprint, Carbon Dairy aimed to build the milk production carbon footprint reduction road map. Based on Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology, the calculation of GHG emissions and carbon sequestration was conducted on 4,870 dairy farms. GHG emissions average 1,02 kg eq. CO2 / L milk. GHG emissions compensation varies from 10 to 47% depending on the forage system. Significant differences are observed between farms. The most efficient farms GHG emissions average 0,84 kg eq. CO2 /L milk which represent a 19% reduction comparing to the average. The link between the economy and GHG emissions was confirmed on the basis of the results of 1,143 farmers from Britany. The most efficient farms in GHG emissions saved 14€/1000l of milk in operating cost. Herd management, input optimization and overall system efficiency are the keys to reducing GHG emissions