Dairy farms trial 200 measures to cut emissions

Dairy farmers are trialling more than 200 practical measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions through the UK Dairy Carbon Network (UK-DCN), including nutrition, breeding, animal health and nutrient management.

The three-year Defra-funded project, led by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, with research and industry partners, involves more than 50 farms across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

See also: Dairy Roadmap seeks further cuts in methane emissions

Nutrition is among the main areas being targeted, with farmers looking to improve diet efficiency, make greater use of home-grown forage and assess feed strategies that could lower emissions.

Other measures include improving fertility and youngstock health, using genetics more effectively, refining nutrient plans and getting more value from slurry and manure.

Prof Steven Morrison, UK-DCN project director, said farmers had shown strong commitment since the project began.

“It is encouraging to see these measures being put into practice and generating real results on farms.

“Equally, the collaboration and support provided by supply chain partners has been vital in helping farmers make these changes and maximise their impact.”

He said many of the measures could also improve efficiency and farm finances.

“That is particularly important as farmers continue to manage challenges including market returns, effects of drought and bluetongue,” he said.

Combining measures

The project is increasingly looking at how several measures can be used together, rather than assessing interventions individually.

Some participating farms are already trialling combinations of changes, with researchers examining whether these deliver greater benefits across the whole business.

“This gives us the opportunity to build a stronger evidence base around what works, where it works and how different measures can be combined to support further reductions in emissions from the dairy sector,” added Prof Morrison.

Lessons from participating farms are also being shared with the wider industry.