Effect of handling and feeding strategies in the environmental performance of buffalo milk in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

To assess the effect of intensification of feeding strategies on the environmental impacts of different animal-handling scenarios of buffalo milk production. Seven scenarios suitable for buffalo milk production were considered—baseline system (BS), S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, and S6—differing from one another in the management system, diet used, and productivity. An attributional cradle-to-farm gate life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed in a buffalo milk farm with a herd of 691 animals. The functional unit was 1 kg of fat (4%) and protein (3.3%) corrected milk (FPCM). The product system comprised four unit processes: mineral salt production, homeopathic medicine production, animal breeding, and milking and milk cooling. The impact assessment considered six categories from the ReCiPe 2016 midpoint method using the software SimaPro® as a supporting tool for the modeling and impact assessment of scenarios. The BS was the most impactful among the other scenarios in the categories “climate change (CC),” “land use (LU),” and “water consumption (WC).” S5 and S6 were the most impactful in the categories “terrestrial acidification (TA),” “freshwater eutrophication (FE),” and “fossil resource scarcity (FRS).” This study can help in choosing feed resources and the handling system and analyzing the consequences on the categories considering their impacts. However, the intensification of production should be achieved by improving both the quality of animal feeding and the management of cropping practices.