By: Yiorgos Gadanakis
Dairy production is a significant contributor to total greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and given that global demand for dairy is projected to increase, there is an urgent need to identify ways of reducing emissions from this sector. In response, DEFRA has commissioned the Smart Dairy project in the UK to gain a clearer understanding of the current use and acceptability of different ‘climate smart’ innovations that have the potential to increase resource use efficiency and reduce both waste and carbon emissions. This project is being carried out by a consortium including the Universities of Sussex, Reading and Bristol and is part of a wider ERA-NET Sustainable Food project with EU partners. A key part of this project is an online survey of the current level of adoption of these innovations by farmers, the perceived knowledge of the innovations and the constraints to adoption. The project team received support from PROMAR International, an agricultural consulting firm, in recruiting UK dairy farmers. PROMAR’s extensive network within the UK dairy industry and their long-standing relationships with farmers were crucial to the successful recruitment of survey participants. This support was particularly important since the survey team could not access the contact details of farmers participating in DEFRA’s annual agricultural census due to confidentiality agreements. Through this collaborative effort, the aim is to develop and promote sustainable practices that can be widely adopted to reduce the environmental impact of dairy production systems.
The baseline survey was divided into six sections. It collected general information about the farm business, including location, land use details, and livestock information. It also assessed the level of current net-zero technology adoption and future intentions and investment plans. This large-scale survey aimed to gather information on the current adoption of technologies and farming practices designed to mitigate the adverse effects of dairy production on climate change. Beyond adoption levels, the survey collected information on the knowledge of these technologies and the barriers to their adoption. Farmers were also asked about their financial willingness to accept these technologies and practices. To conduct a comprehensive statistical analysis, information on basic farm and farmer characteristics was collected to better understand their relationship with the technologies and practices in question. The goal was to achieve a minimum of 200 participants to ensure a good representation of UK dairy farmers.
The project team employed a participatory method to gather information about ‘current innovations’ being implemented by attendees or known to be used by others within their supply chain sector. After consulting with stakeholders in the dairy industry, we have identified and shortlisted nine promising innovations and management practices aimed at achieving Net-Zero. These are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1: List of technologies and farming practices derived from the consultation with stakeholders along with the relevant question used in the online farmer survey
| Technologies/Farming practices aimed at Net-Zero | Question |
| 1. Implemented herbal leys and cover crops in yearly rotation and adopted long term Silvopasture/Agroforestry practices along with strategic cover crop implementation to boost soil health and ecosystem services | Have you incorporated any of the following for enhancing ecosystems services and soil health? – Herbal leys – Cover crops in yearly rotation – Long-term silvopasture/agroforestry – Strategic cover crop implementation |
| 2. Reduced artificial fertiliser use due to increased use of legumes or mixed species in grazing pastures | Have you increased the use of legumes or mixed species in grazing pastures to reduce the use of artificial fertilisers? |
| 3. Reduced artificial fertiliser use due to use of precision application of fertilisers | Are you using precision application techniques for fertilisers as part of efforts to reduce the use of artificial fertilisers? |
| 4. Replaced diet protein concentration with high carbon footprint (e.g. soya) | Have you introduced an alternative diet which reduced the use of protein sources with a high carbon footprint (e.g. soya)? |
| 5. Introduced feed supplements for reduced methane emissions | Have you introduced feed supplements to reduce methane emissions? |
| 6. Introduced slurry additives for reduced emissions from slurry and manure | Are you using slurry additives to reduce emissions from slurry and manure? |
| 7. Technologies to capture methane and or N from slurry and manure | Are you currently implementing technologies to capture methane and or N from slurry and manure (e.g. Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant)? |
| 8. Increased efficiency of the farm system using precision livestock farming technologies e.g. sensors for disease detection | Are you integrating precision livestock farming technologies (e.g. sensors for disease detection) to enhance farm system efficiency? |
| 9. Increased efficiency of the farm system by optimizing breeding strategies e.g. sexed semen and genomic selection. | Are you using sexed semen and genomic selection for optimising breeding strategies with the goal of enhancing farm system efficiency? |
We have now received 198 responses, and we hope that by the end of August, the minimum number of 200 will have been reached. The analysis revealed that the average farm size was 258 hectares, with permanent pastures and temporary grasslands being the most common land uses. Farmers showed significant interest in technologies for improving efficiency, productivity, and environmental impact, with precision livestock technologies and genomic selection for breeding particularly noted. However, high initial costs, low return on investment, and lack of information were primary barriers to adopting new technologies. Key motivators for implementation included improving efficiency, reducing input costs, and meeting market requirements, with environmental benefits also playing a significant role. When not implementing technologies, farmers favoured support mechanisms like income rewards, grant schemes, and price incentives. These insights can help tailor support and policies to encourage the wider adoption of sustainable practices in the dairy sector.
Leave a Reply