An operational method for the evaluation of resource use and environmental impacts of dairy farms by life cycle assessment

Werf, Hayo M.G. van der; Kanyarushoki, Claver; Corson, Michael S.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.07.003

Cited by 120 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(27 reference statements)

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“…Similar to previous dairy LCA studies, CO 2 and N 2 O emissions from the cultivation and transport of imported feed and GHG emissions from the manufacture of synthetic N fertiliser were the main contributors to off-farm GHG emissions (Thomassen et al, 2008b;Van der Werf et al, 2009). Off-farm GHG emissions from the grass-based system were less than half of those from the confinement system, because the confinement system consumed more imported feedstuffs than the grassbased system.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…LCA studies of dairy systems have in particular assessed the effect of production system (e.g. conventional or organic dairy production) on GHG emissions (Cederberg and Mattsson, 2000;Haas et al, 2001; Van der Werf et al, 2009). In contrast, the IPCC approach has mainly been used to evaluate the effect that farm-management practices, such as nutrient management or feed additives, have on GHG emissions (Smith et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of the effect of accounting method, IPCC v. LCA, on grass-based and confinement dairy systems’ greenhouse gas emissions

O’Brien

Shalloo

Patton

et al. 2012

Animal

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Life cycle assessment (LCA) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guideline methodology, which are the principal greenhouse gas (GHG) quantification methods, were evaluated in this study using a dairy farm GHG model. The model was applied to estimate GHG emissions from two contrasting dairy systems: a seasonal calving pasture-based dairy farm and a total confinement dairy system. Data used to quantify emissions from these systems originated from a research study carried out over a 1-year period in Ireland. The genetic merit of cows modelled was similar for both systems. Total mixed ration was fed in the Confinement system, whereas grazed grass was mainly fed in the grass-based system. GHG emissions from these systems were quantified per unit of product and area. The results of both methods showed that the dairy system that emitted the lowest GHG emissions per unit area did not necessarily emit the lowest GHG emissions possible for a given level of product. Consequently, a recommendation from this study is that GHG emissions be evaluated per unit of product given the growing affluent human population and increasing demand for dairy products. The IPCC and LCA methods ranked dairy systems' GHG emissions differently. For instance, the IPCC method quantified that the Confinement system reduced GHG emissions per unit of product by 8% compared with the grass-based system, but the LCA approach calculated that the Confinement system increased emissions by 16% when off-farm emissions associated with primary dairy production were included. Thus, GHG emissions should be quantified using approaches that quantify the total GHG emissions associated with the production system, so as to determine whether the dairy system was causing emissions displacement. The IPCC and LCA methods were also used in this study to simulate, through a dairy farm GHG model, what effect management changes within both production systems have on GHG emissions. The findings suggest that single changes have a small mitigating effect on GHG emissions (,5%), except for strategies used to control emissions from manure storage in the Confinement system (14% to 24%). However, when several management strategies were combined, GHG emissions per unit of product could be reduced significantly (15% to 30%). The LCA method was identified as the preferred approach to assess the effect of management changes on GHG emissions, but the analysis indicated that further standardisation of the approach is needed given the sensitivity of the approach to allocation decisions regarding milk and meat.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the effect of accounting method, IPCC v. LCA, on grass-based and confinement dairy systems’ greenhouse gas emissions

O’Brien

Shalloo

Patton

et al. 2012

Animal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The lower degree of variability observed in that study can be attributed to the fact that farmers followed a specific farming system. Van der Werf et al (2009) also found a high degree of variability on dairy farms in France and, likewise, the highest one corresponded to toxicity related impacts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Van der Werf et al (2009) distinguished between these two kinds of impacts because when the evaluation method is used, it is useful to find the ways in which to decrease a farm's impact, as it will reveal the relative importance of the two components for each impact;…”

Section: Impact Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…LCA methodology has proved to be a valuable tool for the environmental evaluation of farming systems. Some agricultural LCA studies have assessed specific agricultural production systems (Sanjuán et al, 2005;Blengini and Busto, 2009;McDevitt and Milà i Canals, 2011); others have compared systems, such as conventional versus organic farming (Meisterling et al, 2008;Backer et al, 2009; Van der Werf et al, 2009;Venkat, 2012). Every one of those studies has addressed the differences between the farming systems regarding environmental impacts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of Management Practices on Economic and Environmental Performance of Crops. A Case Study in Spanish Horticulture

Fenollosa

Ribal

Lidón

et al. 2014

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

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Influence of management practices on economic and environmental performance of crops.A case study in Spanish horticulture. AbstractThis paper assesses the effect of management practices on the environmental and economic performance of tigernut production in Spain. Tigernut is a horticultural crop grown in a very limited area with homogenous climate and soil; thus the influence of these surrounding factors on the agricultural practices and their subsequent impact can be overlooked. From an environmental perspective, the variability among farms was much greater than the one of the costs. A principal component analysis showed that keeping some impacts low would also decrease the costs. Results highlight how proper management leads to both relatively low environmental impacts and costs.

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Organic Pork in Germany

Böhm

Gauvrit²,

Schaer³

2019

Sustainability of European Food Quality Schemes

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An operational method for the evaluation of resource use and environmental impacts of dairy farms by life cycle assessment

Cited by 120 publications

References 19 publications

Evaluation of the effect of accounting method, IPCC v. LCA, on grass-based and confinement dairy systems’ greenhouse gas emissions

Evaluation of the effect of accounting method, IPCC v. LCA, on grass-based and confinement dairy systems’ greenhouse gas emissions

Influence of Management Practices on Economic and Environmental Performance of Crops. A Case Study in Spanish Horticulture

Organic Pork in Germany

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