The interaction between milk and beef production and emissions from land use change – critical considerations in life cycle assessment and carbon footprint studies of milk

摘要: Two most critical factors to address in environmental system analysis of future milk production are 1) the link between and beef production, 2) competition for land, possibly leading land use change (LUC) with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions loss biodiversity as important implications. Different methodological approaches concerning these factors, studies on impacts dairy sometimes lead contradictory results. Increasing yield per cow is often one solutions discussed order reduce GHG from production. However, when also accounting other systems affected (e.g. production) it not certain that an increase leads a reduction total kg milk. In present study correlation carbon footprint (CF) amount delivered investigated 23 farms (both organic conventional) Sweden. Use fixed allocation factor 90% (based economic value) indicates CF increased yield, while no can be noted expansion applied. The average two groups farms, high yielding conventional, calculated. When conducting somewhat lower (which have cow, but more meat milk), used, higher compared conventional farms. strategies suggested should applied, account systems. Thus, scenarios analysed integrated approach livestock sector. How LUC highly debated there current shared consensus. methods result significantly different this study, four using data Depending which method was showed about 50% or 40% system. reporting numbers, report LUC-factors separately clearly explain underlying assumptions, since drastically © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.