This document discusses addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation in the dairy sector to improve sustainability. It outlines the context of climate change impacts on temperatures and GHG emissions. Adaptation strategies for dairy systems include improving forage and crop management, animal management, and grassland practices. Mitigation involves calculating carbon footprints, implementing practices to reduce emissions and increase carbon sequestration on farms, and developing carbon certification programs. A national initiative in France provides training, assessments, and sustainable action plans to support over 10,000 dairy farmers in adapting practices and reducing carbon intensity through a large partnership.

1. How to address mitigation and
adaptation to climate change in
the dairy sector to improve its
global sustainability ?
Jean-Baptiste Dollé, Aurélie Madrid
French Livestock Institute – Paris
WDS September 25th 2019

2. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
Outline
• Context on Climate Change
•  Adaptation to Climate Change
•  Tackling Climate Change
• How addressing CCA&M ?  The French
sustainable initiative implemented in dairy farms

3. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
Average annual temperatures
Evolutions since 1900
Deviation from the mean 1960-1990 (°C)
(Source : Météo-France)
Global scale French scale
Tendency 1900 – 2017 : +0.9°C Tendency 1900 – 2017 : +1.5°C

4. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
GHG emissions and climate change
• Paris agreement 2015 & IPCC 2018
 Limit the temperature increase to 1,5°C-2°C
Carbon dioxyde
Methane
Nitrous oxyde
1970

5. MtCO2eq
MtCO2eq
Non-CO2 other
Non-CO2 Agriculture
Residential
Tertiary
Transport
Industry
Power
Carbon Removal Technologies
LULUCF
Net emissions
Dif
le
r
abs
Vision for a Clean Planet by 2050
There are a number of pathways for achieving a climate neutral EU, challenging but
feasible from a technological, economic, environmental and social perspectives.

6. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
CLIMALAIT
•Soils
•Technical
management
•Meteorological
data & CO2
Description of the
production areas
•Yields
•Production curves
•Barns equipment's
Impacts on forage
crops and animal
well being
•Climate action
plan
Integration in
dairy systems
With financial support of

7. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
0
5
10
15
20
1970 1990 2010 2030 2050 2070 2090
Climate change effects
on crops production
Alfafa in France
TonsDM/ha
0
5
10
15
20
25
1970 1990 2010 2030 2050 2070 2090
Maize in East of France
TonsDM/ha

8. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1-janv. 20-févr. 10-avr. 30-mai 19-juil. 7-sept. 27-oct. 16-déc.
1950-1979 2010-2039 2070-2099
KgDM/ha/day
Climate change effects
on grass production schedule
1970 20201970 2099
January February April May July September October December

9. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
Climate change effects on milk production
(Hammami et al. 2013)
Barn areas characterization
Milkyield(kg/day)
Fatyield(kg/day)
Thermal index Thermal index
Source: Bioret

10. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
A wide variety of levers to secure the dairy
systems and adapt to climate change
Short-term
strategy
How compensating
the effect of CC?
Medium-Term
strategy
Forage security stock
Buy forages and
concentrates
Catch crops
Dual purpose crops
Shift toward mixed crop-
livestock systems
Extend grazing period
when possible
Delegate heifers rearing
How reducing
the risk?
Barn equipment's (cool
water bed, fans, water
spray, green roof)
Sell animals
Cull early
Adapting birth period
Reducing number of heifers
Developing resistant forage crops
(alfalfa, multi-species grasslands)
Developing
irrigation
Reducing
stocking rate
Increase grassland diversity
Develop cereals silage Increasing SOC
Agroforestry

11. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
Low carbon dairy farm
•GHG emissions
•Carbon
sequestration
Carbon
footprint
calculation
•Herd management
•Crops and
grassland
management
Mitigation
practices
•Mitigation action
plan
Application in
dairy systems

12. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
GHG emissions from dairy
herd in France
- 24 %
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
1990 2010
MtonsCO2
Enteric fermentation Soils Manure Energy consumption Inputs
2025
Task : - 20 %
2025

13. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
GHG emissions and carbon footprint
• No difference between production systems…
• but high difference between efficient and less efficient farms
1,05 1,04 1,03
1,1
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1
1,2
GHG emissions
Carbonfootprint
KgCO2/lFPCM
Grass system(247) Mixte system ( 1519)
Maïze system (1434) Mountain(148)
3 316 dairy farms
MilkCarbonFootprint
(kgCO2/kgmilk)
1,04
0,85
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1
1,2
Total farms
(n=3316)
Ten lower GCF
(n=333)
MilkCarbonFootprint
(kgCO2/kgmilk)
TOP 10%
-18%
Mean farm TOP 10%

14. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
Carbon footprint and farm practices
Mean TOP 10%
Carbon footprint kg CO2/l FPCM 1.04 0.85
Number of cows 61 57
Milk yield, liter FPCM/cow/year 7,490 8,220
Age at first calving, months 29 28
Concentrate rate, g/l milk 166 146
N-fertilizer use, kg N/ha 145 122
Operating costs
30 €/1000 l

15. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
Carbon sequestration in French
dairy production systems
Average : 271 kg carbon / ha / year
361
267
178
493
362
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Stockage carbone/ha
Grass system
Mixte system
Maize system
3 200 dairy farms
Kgcarbon/ha/year
Plain Montain

16. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
More than 40 practices for building a
“carbon and sustainable action plan”
Manure management
Time spent in shed vs pasture,
Biogas production
Crops management &
fertilization
Legume fodder crops,
Optimization of fertilizers uses
Fuel and electricity
No-till cultivation,
Power and equipment,
Working organization
Inputs
Pasture management,
Concentrates and fertilizers,
Legumes, Crops rotation
Herd management
Increasing productivity
Reducing number of
unproductive animals
Feed
Feed efficiency,
Forage quality and yield
GHG emissions Carbon sequestration
Avoid bare soil
Catch crops
Agroforestry
Grassland management

17. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
Addressing climate change
mitigation and adaptation
- Impacts of CC on forage
and milk production
- Technical solutions to
adapting dairy systems
- Contribution of dairy to GHG
emissions and carbon
sequestration
- Carbon audits in farms
- Technical solutions for
reducing milk carbon footprint
Building
SUSTAINABLE
DAIRY SYSTEMS
i.e. low carbon
and resilient

18. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
Harversted
perennial
Harversted
temporary
Grazed
temporary
Grazed
perennial
Grazed
forage crops
Grasslands
Animals Crops
Harversted
forage crops
Hay,
silage
Manure
Crops / Straw
Soil fertility
Carbon sequestration
Inputs
Outputs
Cereals
Legumes
Looking for the
most suitable and
sustainable
equilibrium
Climate adaptation
GHG emissions
Atmosphere
Ammonia emissions
Water regulation
Biodiversity Water
N, P,…

19. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
How do we involve farmers
in a national sustainable action plan ?
• A large partnership for advising farmers
Information
- Training
Farm
assessment
CAP’2ER
Carbon &
sustainable
action plan
60 000 dairy farmers
10 000 dairy farmers

20. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
Making the
referenceYear 1
Advising
farmers &
monitoring
Year 2
to 4
Measuring
progress
Years
5, 6
• Activity data
• Carbon intensity : GHG
emission and carbon
sequestration
• Sustainable action plan
• Following practices
implementation
• Activity data
• Activity data
• Carbon intensity to
determine the progress
Advanced assessment A basic assessment Advanced assessment
Advising farmers to address CC adaptation
& mitigation and monitoring the progress

21. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
For boosting farmers involvement
CARBON AGRI : a French methodology to
certify GHG reductions in agriculture
Process certified by :
Crediting period
Baseline Scenario
Time
Emission reductions
=
Carbon credit

22. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
Involving farmers in a national carbon certification
• Several steps for involving cattle farmers
Information
- Training
Farm
assessment
CAP’2ER
Carbon &
sustainable
action plan
Monitoring
Carbon
certification
Cattle Carbon Certification
60 000 dairy farmers
10 000 dairy farmers
500 dairy farmers in 2019

23. IDF World Dairy Summit - Istanbul - September 23-26, 2019
Summary – Toward a sustainable dairy production
• Adaptation and mitigation must be worked together
for building a consistent and sustainable action plan
• Solutions exist
• Adaptation of dairy systems to climate change
• Assuring animal well being and avoiding yield losses,
• Improving crop and grassland management.
• Reduction of carbon intensity
• Linking GHG, carbon sequestration, practices and economy,
• Applying mitigation practices in farms,
• Catching carbon finance to facilitate practices improvement.
• A real dynamic engaged at national scale thanks to
the means employed by the dairy sector, the large
partnership and dairy farmers involvement.

24. Thanks for your attention
Jean Baptiste DOLLE
French Livestock Institute - IDELE
Paris