Welfare intervention and environmental impacts of milk production – cradle-to-farm-gate effects of implementing rubber mats in Austrian dairy farms
| Autor: | Stefan Hörtenhuber, Christoph Winckler, Iris Kral, Anna Herzog, Werner Zollitsch |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Renewable Energy
Sustainability and the Environment 020209 energy Strategy and Management media_common.quotation_subject 05 social sciences Global warming 02 engineering and technology Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Farm Gate Agricultural science 050501 criminology 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering Environmental science Production (economics) Baseline (configuration management) Welfare Dairy farming Productivity Dairy cattle 0505 law General Environmental Science media_common |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Cleaner Production. 277:123953 |
| ISSN: | 0959-6526 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123953 |
| Popis: | While the environmental impacts of common health disorders in dairy cattle such as lameness have recently been assessed, the effects of specific welfare intervention measures on emissions from dairying are unknown. This study aimed at estimating the impact of lameness intervention through implementation of rubber mats in alleyways on the contribution potential of milk production to global warming (GWP), terrestrial acidification (TAP), freshwater and marine eutrophication (FEP, MEP), as well as to the use of non-renewable and renewable energy resources (nRER, RER). Using life-cycle assessment, the environmental impacts of two model farms in different production areas of Austria (highlands, lowlands) were estimated before and after the implementation of rubber mats. Productivity shortfalls due to lameness in the baseline scenario (Sbasic) were assumed to be reduced by 50% through improved flooring in the intervention scenario (Smats). For Sbasic of the highland system, GWP, TAP, FEP, MEP, nRER and RER were estimated at 1.2 kg CO2-, 22.9 g SO2-, 0.1 g P-, 3.7 g N-, 2.2 and 18.4 MJ-equivalents per kg milk, respectively. In Smats, significant changes in impact levels were only found for TAP (−1.4%), nRER (+2.5%) and RER (−0.8%) (ρ ≤ 0.001). For the lowland system, results were of similar, but slightly lower magnitude. In both systems, TAP, MEP and RER estimates proved insensitive to changes in mat durability, due to a negligible impact of emissions associated with the production of mats (≤0.05%). Varying the assumed lameness reduction potential of mats had a proportionate effect on all categories. Considering the effectiveness of soft flooring in reducing physical trauma, the benefits of rubber mats for emission mitigation can be expected to be more pronounced in the case of sole ulcers rather than digital dermatitis. In conclusion, although a significant mitigating effect was shown for TAP and RER only, the findings indicate the potential of health and welfare improvement measures to mitigate emissions from dairy farming or to at least outweigh the environmental costs of their implementation. However, a comprehensive, primary data-based assessment of other intervention measures is needed to substantiate a general benefit of welfare intervention measures for sustainable dairy farming. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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