The environment and_sustainability

The environment and sustainability

Learning objectives

• To recognise how dairy cow farming impacts on the environment.

• To be aware of the different initiatives being taken by dairy farmers to protect and enhance the environment.

Methane emissions

When cows chew and digest food they burp and emit methane(CH4). This gas also exists naturally in the atmosphere and helps regulate the Earth's temperature.

Dairy cow farming can have an impact on the environment due to methane production contributing to global warming.

There are a range of measures being used by dairy farmers to reduce the impact on the environment, as well as to enhance the environment.

Reduction in methane emissions

Dairy farmers have worked hard to reduce their environmental impact.

As a result, greenhouse gas emissions from UK dairy farms have declined sharply over the last 20 years.

Looking at the UK’s total emissions, the UK transport gas emissions is currently responsible for 25% of this, whereas British dairy farming represents only 2%.

Clover

There are many ways in which dairy farmers are working to sustain the environment.

Clover has nitrogen fixing properties. Some farmers will plant this in fields to promote nitrogen in the soil.

This natural process allows nitrogen from the atmosphere around the plant to be used rather than using artificial fertilisers.

Managing manure

Managing manure is an important aspect of dairy farming. On most British dairy farms, the manure produced is used on the land as a natural fertiliser, providing valuable nutrients for crops, including grass.

Dairy cow slurry, a combination of cow manure and water from washing the milking parlour, is usually stored in a slurry tank or lagoon. The slurry is spread over the fields at certain times of year.

Dairy farmers use slurry application techniques that reduce odours and the risk of water pollution.

Managing manure

Cow manure can be a useful by-product.

Some dairy farmers, particularly those with larger farms, use anaerobic digesters to turn cows' manure into energy.

The digester breaks down the manure, producing biogas that feeds a generator, which in turn produces electricity that can be fed into the National Grid.

Managing manure

Hedgerows

Britain's hedgerows, with their thriving wildlife, are regularly maintained by farmers.

As well as providing a natural boundary between pastures, hedges are trimmed, out of the nesting season, to provide a breeding ground for birds and other wildlife.

Wildlife

Many dairy farmers also create 'wildlife corridors' by leaving a strip of grass around the edge of the pastures, plant trees and wooded areas and establish ponds to attract wildlife.

Some farmers will leave maize stubble in fields over winter, for ground nesting birds, so they can nest amongst the stubble.

Water use on farms

Water is essential for dairy farming for:

1) Providing dairy cows with a regular and constant supply of clean water to drink.

2) Washing the milking parlour and equipment following milking.

Water use on the farms

British dairy farmers are constantly looking at ways to conserve water and cut costs without compromising on either animal welfare or dairy hygiene.

For example, the Milk Roadmap* has set a target of reducing water use by between 5-15% by 2020.

Water is often recycled on farms. Some farmers, for example, harvest rain water via roof systems. This water can then be used for parlour wash down, initial plate cooling and drinking water for the cows when they are in cow sheds.

* One of a series of reports originally produced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to reduce the environmental impact across the life cycle of a range of priority products. This has now been adopted by the dairy industry.

Aiming to improve

The dairy industry is still working towards reducing the negative environmental impact even further through the Milk Roadmap.

Concerns about climate change are also being addressed by dairy farmers on a global scale, through the Global Dairy Agenda for Action on Climate Change.

Milk Roadmap: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/business/products/roadmaps/milk.htm

Global Dairy Agenda: http://www.dairy-sustainability-initiative.org

Summary

As part of a natural living system, dairy cow farming can have a impact on the environment due to methane production. However, this is declining.

There are a range of measures being used by dairy farmers to reduce the impact on the environment, as well as to enhance the environment.

For more information, go to:

www.foodafactoflife.org.uk