Milk’s Carbon Footprint Movement

“The Single best Product for the Plant”

Or

“The Biggest Contributor to Green House Gas Emissions”

Emissions reporting of greenhouse gases is already in place in Europe, but farmers in North America may find themselves struggling to catch up to demands  from processors for carbon foot print labeling on products.  Back in 2006, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released the well known article “Livestock’s Long Shadow”, which identified the global livestock sector as a major source of greenhouse gases.  It identified the cattle industry generated 18% greenhouse gas emissions, a bigger share than that of transportation.  

Dairy industry groups worldwide, including the Dairy Farmers of Canada want to see this number better represented by the dairy industry instead of grouping all livestock production together. This is mainly because world wide, the livestock industries are very different. 

Richard Doyle,  the executive director of Dairy Farmers of Canada, is focusing on measuring milk’s carbon footprint once they have secured funding. Doyle told the Ontario Farmer Magazine, they want to develop a farm model for different regions and different methods of production. This will establish a benchmark and help develop international standards for measuring GHG emissions, so appropriate and realistic goals can be set for reduction of GHG. 

U.N numbers realeased suggested the dairy industry was responsible for 16% of the 18% of global GHG, or about 3% total GHG. That is a huge difference compared to the orginal “18% GHG from Livestock”, unfortantely consumers aren’t aware of the large differences in “Livestock“ production. Automatically livestock means animals, any animals. It is different if the livestock is divided into industries. Regardless, 3% of total GHG from dairy production is a significant number to consumers, however  new research from the secretary general of the European Dairy Association told producers at a conference, their numbers is 1.2% of glabal GHG from the farm gate, or from on farm processes. The remaining is “post farm” losses, including consumer use and losses. 

Large american dairy farmers (700+ animals) with mature cows (not heifers), have started reporting their air emissions  as of Jan 20,2009 (click here to read more) A Fact sheet from Michigan State University Extension provides 3 different formulas for determining GHG.  There is very limited standardizations of reporting and furthermore it does not capture all the American cattle. When I read the information provided by Michigan State Extension, I wonder what the point of all this really is then? Is it to pinpoint the large scale producers? Keep the American citizens happy that there is something being “done about GHG? or to really set targets to decrease GHG? 

 Research on the dairy carbon footprint to create a national benchmarking system needs to be conducted before jumping in and confusing everyone involved (consumers and producers). In the meantime,  Jay Waldvogel,  vice-president of strategy and international development for the Dairy Farmers of America believes the answer to the consumer carbon challenge is for milk boards to market milk “as the single best product for the plant…the perfect cocktail of nutrition” as reported by the Ontario Farmer Magazine. Milk is nature’s most complete food with essential vitamins, minerals, proteins and fat. Milk is not causing depletion of the ozone, nor is it causing global warming. I question how livestock which are natural beings to our world cause greater damage then the man-made products and machinery that emit toxic chemicals….

Dairy Cows Being Milked

 

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