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How can Grass-Based Dairy Farmers
reduce the Carbon Footprint of milk?
GGAA Conference 16th February 2016
Donal O’Brien
Livestock Systems Department, AGRIC, Teagasc, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland
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Overview
Grassland and Climate Change Policy
Carbon footprint of Commercial Farms
Mitigation opportunities
Conclusions
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Grassland and Climate Change Policy
• Grasslands are a key source of
ruminant food products
• Produce more food energy
globally than monogastrics
• Demand for ruminant-based food is
growing
• Population growth
• Westernization of developing
nation diets
• But milk and meat have relatively
high greenhouse gas emissions
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Grassland and Climate Change Policy
• EU nations have adopted ambitious binding
GHG emission targets for 2020 and 2030
• Overall 2030 reduction target set for non-ETS
is 30% compared to 05 levels
• Includes agriculture
• > 40% of Irish non-ETS emissions
• New Non-ETS targets recognise the important
role of agriculture in achieving food security
• New focus on reducing C footprint
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Research objectives
• Grass-based milk production is economically
important and growing quickly in Ireland
• Our goals were
1. To audit C footprint of milk from the main milk
production region in Ireland
• Whole farm system methodology
• Verify method to a recognised standard
2. Identify strategies that can be readily applied to
mitigate C footprint of milk
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Carbon audits
• 62 dairy farms successfully audited for 2014
• But not representative of Rep. of Ireland
• Limited to Southern Region
• Livestock inventory and milk production
• Electronic - DAFM, ICBF, Co-ops
• Monthly on-farm survey
• Animal feeding plan
• Fertiliser use and manure management
• Fuel, Chemical, Water use etc…
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Computing Carbon Footprint of Milk
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA; ISO 14040)
• Recognised systems approach
• Applied to quantify carbon footprint until
milk was sold from the farm
• On-farm GHG sources
• Irish National GHG Inventory
• IPCC (2006)
• Off-farm GHG sources (e.g. soy meal)
• Carbon Trust Footprint Expert
• Ecoinvent (2006)
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Certification
• PAS 2050 – British GHG standard
• More proscriptive than ISO standards
• Specific emissions for land use change
• Independent Certification
• Auditing system tested by Carbon Trust
• Data verified via farm invoices etc…
• Non-conformities between LCA model and
PAS 2050 addressed
• Certification - Carbon footprint within 5%
threshold of PAS 2050
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Dairy Farm Carbon Footprints 2014
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Carb
on
fo
otp
rin
tkg
CO
2e
/kg
of
FP
CM
Decile
No C sink
Average = 1.26
Min = 0.92
Max = 1.73
SD = 0.16
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Dairy Farm Carbon Footprints 2014
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Carb
on
fo
otp
rin
tkg
CO
2e
/kg
of
FP
CM
Decile
C sink
Average = 1.05
Min = 0.67
Max = 1.37
SD = 0.15
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Contribution analysis of C footprint
0.00
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
kg
CO
2-e
q/k
g o
f F
PC
M
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Year Average Min 10% Max 10%
Herd EBI 148 172 106
FPCM, kg/cow 5208 5828 4668
Concentrate feed rate, kg/t FPCM 123 111 193
Grazing days, turnout to full housing 248 258 221
Grazed grass, % diet 66 71 57
N fertilizer, kg/t FPCM 22 16 25
Enteric methane, kg/t FPCM 0.59 0.54 0.65
C footprint, kg CO2e/kg FPCM 1.26 1.02 1.54
C footprint with sequestration,
kg CO2e/kg FPCM
1.05 0.81 1.26
Farm performance and C footprint
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Mitigation opportunities
CF of milk P value
Genetic measures
Herd EBI -0.48 <0.001
Herd dairy sub-index -0.38 <0.01
Herd fertility sub-index -0.33 <0.01
Non-genetic measures
Grazed grass % diet -0.48 <0.001
N fertilizer/unit of milk -0.47 <0.001
Calving interval -0.48 <0.001
FPCM yield/cow -0.44 <0.01
Concentrate/unit of milk 0.39 <0.01
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Mitigation opportunities
• Most variation (R2 = 0.82) in footprint explained by
• Cow genetic potential – Herd EBI
• Nutrient management - N fertiliser response
• Nutrition – Grazed grass and concentrate
• Strategies are available to improve these farm performance measures
• Improve cow genetic merit
• Adopt AI or increase usage
• Review cow performance
• Select best team of sires
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Mitigation opportunities
• Improve soil fertility
• Low pH or P levels on some farms
• Apply lime and soil test
• Improve N response
• Potential for legumes - WC
• Precision farming
• Grazing tools – Pasturebase
• Greater grass quality control
• Extend grazing season
• More pasture in the diet
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 1 2 3
N f
ert
ilis
er,
kg
/ha
LU/ha
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Conclusions
• Scope to reduce C footprint across all farms
• Improve productive efficiency
• No one size fits all approach to increase productivity
• Region or farm specific
• Modelling knowledge gaps
• Land quality - Soil types and topography
• Key determinant of mitigation potential
• Improve extension advice
• Refine inventory N emissions estimates
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Conclusions
• Modelling knowledge gaps
• Carbon sequestration
• Rate and permanence of sequestration
• Opportunity cost – Time and value
• Improving productivity only part of the solution
• New technologies required to achieve long-term goals
• Methane inhibitors
• Enhanced sequestration
• Carbon capture and storage
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Acknowledgements
DAFM RSF
Thanks for your attention
Look forward to meeting you again at the LCA
Food Conference Oct 19-21 in Dublin, Ireland
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Life Cycle Assessment
Off-farm
•Fertilizer
•Pesticides
•Feedstuff
•Livestock
•Fuel
•Electricity
•Machinery
•Etc..Soil
Cultivation
Harvesting
Housing
Grazing
Manure
On-Farm
Milk Meat GHG NH3 NO3
GHG NH3 NO3
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Effect of Soil Carbon
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0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
1.80
2.00
10 11
kg
CO
2e/k
g E
CM
PAS 2050 footprint
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Carbery Carbon Footprints
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0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
1.80
2.00
10 11
kg
CO
2e/k
g E
CM
PAS 2050 footprint
Excl Soil Carbon Soy Emissions
-30% -12%