2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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%.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Dairy farmers use slurry application techniques that
reduce odours and the risk of water pollution.
Managing manure
8. 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
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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
14. 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.
