Climate critics are missing the point

While the hype has been about vegetarianism saving the planet, milk production has been tarred with the same brush as the red meat sector.

But what the stories about ‘burping bovines’ miss is the progress already made by dairy farmers and processors.

Yield increases over the last two decades have made milk production increasingly efficient, with more milk from fewer cows. In fact, RASE’s Practice with Science project calculates genetic improvement in dairy cows between 1988 and 2007 has reduced methane emissions by 25 per cent and nitrous oxide by 30 per cent.

The Milk Roadmap, first published in May 2008 by a group chaired by Dairy UK, and with membership from across the milk supply chain, is also tracking the progress.

An update in August this year showed farmers, processors and retailers were already on track to meet the targets set for 2010, 2015 and 2020 - a positive news story that did not receive the attention some of the scaremongering has (see panel below).

“The dairy sector has come a long way in recent years in reducing its environmental impact, achieved by adapting farming practices to deliver environmental and economic benefits,” the interim report concluded.

The roadmap is also important because it sets out work being done to help the sector cut emissions and energy use. For example, current water use has been measured to enable producers to measure if they are reducing it in the future. Data is also being gathered on energy efficiency and use of anaerobic digesters.

Dairy UK is also collaborating with the Carbon Trust to produce a more accurate set of carbon footprinting guidelines, with full Carbon Trust accreditation, that will replace several different systems with limited or no comparability.

On announcing the project this summer, Fergus McReynolds, Dairy UK environmental manager, said: “We must keep showing our critics that dairy’s environmental footprint is falling and there can be no reason to reduce consumption.”

Research

DairyCo is using levy money to fund further research, often in collaboration with other bodies. A recently completed project is the production of six factsheets and four case studies on climate change.

On the publication of the factsheets, Dr Karen Wonnacott, DairyCo research and development manager, said: “Our research shows farmers who have made changes to reduce emissions of the three main greenhouse gases, methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide, have also seen a significant improvement in productivity and overall business efficiency. It’s a win-win situation.”