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Estimated differences in economic and environmental performance of forage-based dairy herds across the UK

Bell, Matthew J.; Wilson, Paul

Authors

Matthew J. Bell

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PAUL WILSON PAUL.WILSON@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Professor of Agricultural Economics



Abstract

Differences in performance among the areas of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can provide some insight into the resilience of UK milk supplies from forage-based dairy herds. This study used a Markov Chain approach to model the average herd in each region between the years 2010 to 2015. The effect of a single unit change in milk production (milk volume, fat yield and protein yield), fitness (survival, somatic cell count, mastitis and calving interval) and efficiency (methane) traits on the economic value and GHG emissions intensity (expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents per cow and per kg milk solids) were assessed. Production data were obtained from a total of about half a million milk recorded dairy cows in the UK and the Farm Business Surveys for each region. Across the UK improving the health (SCC and mastitis), fertility (calving intervals) and survival of cows will increase profitability and reduce emissions intensity of milk production. In Scotland, herds had higher milk yields but poorer survival, which potentially could be due to poor fertility indicated by a longer calving interval compared to other regions. Herds in Northern Ireland had the shortest average calving interval but the highest somatic cell counts (SCC), and thus greater estimated mastitis incidence and wasted milk. Notably, England had considerably higher economic values (between 10 and 30%) and emission intensity values (between 11 and 37%) for SCC and mastitis incidence than other regions, due to lost milk production and the higher gross margin. This study provides a framework that can be customised for individual herds to allow assessment of resilience and resource efficiency of milk production not only in the UK but for comparison with international dairy systems.

Citation

Bell, M. J., & Wilson, P. (in press). Estimated differences in economic and environmental performance of forage-based dairy herds across the UK. Food and Energy Security, Article e00127. https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.127

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 17, 2018
Online Publication Date Jan 22, 2018
Deposit Date Feb 7, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Food and Energy Security
Electronic ISSN 2048-3694
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Article Number e00127
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.127
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/906364
Publisher URL http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fes3.127/abstract

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