Dairy Farming Dairy Farming inin the the NetherlandsNetherlands

IntroductionDairy farming

•an animal husbandry enterprise

to raise female cattle for long-term

production of milk

being processed on-site

OR being transported to a dairy for processing and eventual retail sale

Map of the Netherlands

Introduction

The Netherlands•a small coastal area

• situated in the Northern Hemisphere

• stretches from51oNto 54oN

• the coastline is about 1075km

• around 24%of the area is below the sea level

The Netherlands• since the 13th century, the total increase of reclaimed land is 600,000 hectare.

• maritime climate with annual mean precipitation around 765mm

• the coastal area is 16oC on average

• mild winter with average 3oC

• the inland’s climate about 17oC in summer and 2oC in winter

The impact of ecological changes on dairy farming

• Over-grazing

lowers the infiltration capacity of soil

and reduces the soil moisture.

soil erosion and pasture deterioration

strip-grazing

The impact of ecological changes on dairy farming

• Over-cultivation

contaminate the water and the fodder crops exploit the soil nutrients soil erosion and threaten the growth of cattle.harvest the surplus grass. graze beef cattle

The impact of ecological changes on dairy farming

•Cross breeding

scientific breeding

infection of diseases

simplification of species

upset the balance of ecosystem

The impact of economic consideration on dairy farming

•Export-orientedmechanization is practiced for large surplusfew labor works, replaced by machine (capital-intensive)

AIM: earn PROFITS!!!!!

The impact of economic consideration on dairy farming

AIM: earn PROFITS!!!!!

•Refrigeration

•Highly accessible transportation need not close to market

•Advanced technology availableInjection of artificial hormoneartificial inseminateinjection of antibiotics

• Calves fed by cow’s blood

• Small cows’ stabling with thousands of hundreds of cows living in

The impact of economic consideration on dairy farming

AIM: earn PROFITS!!!!!

Discuss to what extent human modification is a mere short term gain for long term misery.•Landscape and habitats

countryside being shaped

for dairy farming

loss of large open space

•Biodiversity

replaced by the simpler patterns

dominance of competitive plants reduce species diversity.

loss of both complexity and stability

Discuss to what extent human modification is a mere short term gain for long term misery.

•Cow

mad-cow disease

malnutrition and disease

•Soilreduced fertilitynutrient leakagesoil erosionloss of soil structureland becomes unproductive

Discuss to what extent human modification is a mere short term gain for long term misery.

•Waterleakage of chemicals water pollutionreduction in the permeability of soileutrophication and algal blooms

•Airde-nitrification, methane

Discuss to what extent human modification is a mere short term gain for long term misery.

•Greenhouse gasesburning of biomass for livestock production(CO2)global warming

•Humanantibiotic residues are found in milkcancer

ConclusionConclusion

We human beings lack foresight and neglect lots of permanent problems caused in various aspects, environment in particular. We should not appropriate the resources from nature and inflict severe penalties on her by causing tremendous and irrecoverable harm to our nature. Since we live on the earth, we ought to shoulder the responsibilities to conserve it.

Or else eventually we suffer the consequences of our own doing as the idiom goes," As one makes one's bed so one must lie on it.”