Data di Pubblicazione:
2013
Citazione:
Effect of farming strategies on environmental impact of intensive dairy farms in Italy / M. Guerci, L. Bava, M. Zucali, A. Sandrucci, C. Penati, A. Tamburini. - In: THE JOURNAL OF DAIRY RESEARCH. - ISSN 0022-0299. - 80:3(2013 Aug), pp. 300-308. [10.1017/S0022029913000277]
Abstract:
(GHG) and acidifying gases. Moreover, they contribute to water pollution and to consumption of
non-renewable natural resources such as land and energy. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
methodology allows evaluation of the environmental impact of a process from the production of
inputs to the final product and to assess simultaneously several environmental impact categories
among which GHG emissions, acidification, eutrophication, land use and energy use. The main
purpose of this study was to evaluate, using the LCA methodology, the environmental impact of milk
production in a sample of 41 intensive Italian dairy farms and to identify, among different farming
strategies, those associated with the best environmental performances. The functional unit was 1 kg
Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM). Farms showed characteristics of high production intensity:
FPCM, expressed as tonnes per hectare, was 30·8±15·1. Total GHG emission per kg FPCM at farm
gate was 1·30±0·19 kg CO2 eq. The main contributors to climate change potential were emissions
from barns and manure storage (50·1%) and emissions for production and transportation of
purchased feeds (21·2%). Average emission of gases causing acidification to produce 1 kg FPCM was
19·7±3·6 g of SO2 eq. Eutrophication potential was 9·01±1·78 PO3
4 eq: per kg FPCM on average.
Farms from this study needed on average 5·97±1·32 MJ per kg FPCM from non-renewable energy
sources. Energy consumption was mainly due to off-farm activities (58%) associated with purchased
factors. Land use was 1·51±0·25m2 per kg FPCM. The farming strategy based on high conversion
efficiency at animal level was identified as the most effective to mitigate the environmental impact
per kg milk at farm gate, especially in terms ofGHG production and non-renewable energy use per kg
FPCM.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
Dairy farm; Life Cycle Assessment; milk; sustainability
Elenco autori:
M. Guerci, L. Bava, M. Zucali, A. Sandrucci, C. Penati, A. Tamburini
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