Dairy Cow Health and Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity

Dirk Von Soosten,Gerhard Flachowsky,Ulrich Meyer,Sven Dänicke

doi:10.3390/dairy1010003

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to identify the main influencing factors related to dairy cow health as it impacts the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions considering known data presented in the literature. For this study, we define the emission intensity as CO2 equivalents per kilogram of milk. In dairy cows, a high dry matter (DM) intake (25 kg/d) leads to an higher absolute methane emission compared to a lower DM intake (10 kg/d). However, the emission intensity is decreased at a high performance level. The emissions caused by DM intake to cover the energy requirement for maintenance are distributed over a higher milk yield. Therefore, the emission intensity per kilogram of product is decreased for high-yielding animals with a high DM intake. Apart from that, animal diseases as well as poor environmental or nutritional conditions are responsible for a decreased DM intake and a compromised performance. As a result, animal diseases not only mean reduced productivity, but also increased emission intensity. The productive life-span of a dairy cow is closely related to animal health, and the impact on emission intensity is enormous. A model calculation shows that cows with five to eight lactations could have a reduced emission intensity of up to 40% compared to animals that have left the herd after their first lactation. This supports the general efforts to increase longevity of dairy cows by an improved health management including all measures to prevent diseases.

Highlights

The world population is projected to reach between 9 and 10 billion people in 2050
A further increase is expected depending on how countries implement targets for the reduction of their greenhouse gas emissions, and the global mean temperature will probably be between 2 and 5 ◦ C warmer at the end of the present century [12], with some further negative impacts
These are the reasons to look for all conceivable possibilities to reduce those greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions that are of anthropogenic origin

Summary

Background

The world population is projected to reach between 9 and 10 billion people in 2050. Further trade globalization, increased urbanization, and expected growth in global affluence will lead to a substantial increase in the consumption of foods of animal origin such as meat, dairy products, eggs, and fish [1,2,3]. Animal production needs to use some limited resources, such as arable land, water, and energy It causes emissions such as greenhouse gases (GHGs; e.g., carbon dioxide, CO2 ; methane, CH4 ; nitrous oxide, N2 O), as well as nitrogen leaching and phosphorous losses with potential freshwater environmental impacts. A further increase is expected depending on how countries implement targets for the reduction of their greenhouse gas emissions, and the global mean temperature will probably be between 2 and 5 ◦ C warmer at the end of the present century [12], with some further negative impacts These are the reasons to look for all conceivable possibilities to reduce those GHG emissions that are of anthropogenic origin. Similar interactions were examined by the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases [39]

Importance of Feed Intake in Conjunction with Animal Health

Animal Yield and Emissions

Influence of Productive Life and Fertility on the CF of Lactating Cows

Findings

Conclusions