Importance of Dairy and Methods of Reducing Environmental Footprint
- Balamurugan1* and A. Varun2
1Intern, RIVER, Puducherry
2Assiatant Professor, Livestock Farm Complex
Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (RIVER)
Pondicherry – 605 009
*corresponding author email: balamurugan9898@gmail.com
Introduction
During this 21st century, accelerated human population growth demands high food production which in turn cause the high use of resources which leads to the release of various pollutants. Due to the high demand, the quality of food production has been submissived which resulted in demanded quantity with quality less food products. This leads to the change of lifestyle which is the major cause for several dietary diseases. Therefore quality food products should be assured for the sustainable human culture in future. In the current situation, there is a high demand exist for quality protein food to support the increasing population. Animal protein sources are cheap and the quality cannot be lowered too much when taken as a fresh product and these animal proteins are available throughout the globe at affordable price by 90% of people. They act as a balanced diet providing the lifesaving constituents especially for neonates. In general, milk and milk products either at small or large scale production serves an income sector of the agricultural farmers. But the impact on environment by these dairy farming and the dairy industries is a limiting factor. The waste products from the dairy sector being a limiting factor which produce all types of pollutions. The increase in milk production also increases the waste products accumulation leading to global warming. The major pollutants are greenhouse gases and by products wastes generated on the reduction of fossil fuels which could not reviewed back to put again for use. Recently Researchers are focusing on instrumentalization of several ideas on reducing the environmental impact on dairy sectors.
Environmental footprints of dairy farming
Dairy farming and dairy products have several impacts on the environmental resources in different ways. They directly or indirectly affect the environmental balance resulting in loss of the natural resources. For the past two decades, livestock represents around 14% of the total world emissions. The major part is the methane emissions from cows, farm machineries which contributes around 70% of the total footprints left by the livestock. The other contributing factors such as deforestation, transportation of livestock and livestock products, processing of milk and its products also leads to the emissions.
Greenhouse gasses like methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide are released into the atmosphere leading to global warming and climate change are produced from the enteric fermentation of ruminants, manure and feed production. The improper management and treatment of dairy cows will increase the stress and poor health condition leading to production of greenhouse gases. Large amount of water is consumed for livestock and milk production. For the production of 1 gallon of milk around 144 gallons of water is used. The fertilizers and manure wastes polluting the water resources and reducing its potential for the survival. The effect of livestock on erosions are due to overgrazing, converting forest areas into livestock rearing and fodder cultivating places whose impacts will take at least a decade to replace.
The Ammonia released from the dairy sheds travel downstream and cause the loss in species diversity. The resources and energy used for the production of milk from the livestock has a great impacts on the future existence of several organisms. The emissions from the non- productive animal is very much higher than the productive animal since the maintenance requirement will be very higher for the dry or unproductive animal, but the productive animals bypass more of the provisions to the production rather than the maintenance.
About 98% of world population consumes the proccesed milk and milk products rather than a fresh products. This consumption of processed milk products demands a lot of energy and valuable fossil fuel resources for the processing and transporting the products to various places across the world. FAO say that the caloric content of milk decides its carbon footprint. For example low fat content milk products (Skim milk powder) has associated with lower emisions than the fat rich products. Butter a high fat rich milk product stands on top leaving footprint on environment ranking 3rd place for the major climate changing foods. To get a one pound of butter 21 pounds of milk is used having its high impact. Although cheese a dairy product is low in fat content which is consumed all over the world as a major dairy product their impact is also high. The reason is the production method which includes ageing, long time refrigeration causing high use of fossil resources and increasing the emissions. Yogurt a fermented dairy product contributes to the production of acidic whey which is treated as a waste product which could be very toxic to the environment on its decomposition. The milk sweets being favorite food for most of the vegetarians adds stress on the environment by their processing methods using lot of water and fuel resources.
Methods of Reducing Environmental footprint:
Dairy products play a major role in human nutrition especially in a vegetarians diet. Though the evolution of dairy industry is enormous in 21st Century in reply to increasing demand of animal protein, it’s effect on environment is also elevated due to the various modern processing and storing invented technologies. From long back dairy producers trying to compensate the impact with old and new ideas by recycling the waste generated from the dairy sectors. FAO suggested several strategies to reduce the carbon footprints created by the dairy farming.
The major change that is taking place all around the world is to produce increased quantity of milk with small number of animals. This is being achieved by the farmers across the country with the help of nutrionist, geneticist, gynaecologist. Nutrionist play a role in assessing the nutritional requirement for maintenance and production paving the way for proper utilization of provided nutrients and restricts the overfeeding leading to the production of greenhouse gases. The phenomenon of dilution of maintenance is now widely employed to reduce the environmental carbon footprint.
Identification and improving the milk production through proper selection and breeding of high producing of animals to increase the quantity of milk produced per unit of cow. Recently developed countries are employing this method to reduce the environmental effects. Using manure as a fertizer in fooder production is old method but very useful method to be employed in new ages to reduce the stress on the environment due to use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers. Cattle manures are recycled by anaerobic organisms to produce biogas and biofuels which can generate power and electricity.
Water used for cooling purpose and products preparation can be recycled for shed washing which in turn can be directed to fodder fields. Drip irrigation is now widely employed to reduce the water consumption by dairy farming. Heat stress in farm animals due to poor ventilation management leading to decline in milk production and climate change. Recently farmers started to install the filtration system in farms to keep the air clean, this ensures strong breezes in summers and gentle breeze in summers which prevent heat exhaustion and its progressive effects.
In a farm and processing plants use of fossil fuels could be changed to the renewable sources of power and electricity such as solar energy and wind energy in a eco-friendly systems. This is being implanted in various developing and developed countries across the world reducing the pollutants from the fossils. Low fat milk products are now being focused in promotions which emits low carbon on processing and storage. In western countries, Vegetable oils are added to the low fat milk products to compensate for the nutrient imbalance making it healthy and tasty preferred by the global consumers. The Whey, by product obtained on preparation fat rich milk products is a rich source of protein was considered as a waste in milk industry. But nowadays these processes whey proteins is used a food supplements for body builders and athletes and whey also has been in the manufacture of the whey based- probiotic tonics which is a recent innovation in milk products reducing the stress the carbon footprint.
Milk- Global Food for livelihood:
Milk is the first feed to be consumed by all the mammals on this planet, the colostrum supplies raw nutrients in addition passive immunity to the neonates. The composition of milk vary significantly depending on the species, period of lactation, season, and feed intake. About 10,000 years ago, discovery of idea of harvesting other mammalian milk could serve as best nutrient source paved the way for milk and milk products industry. Being the cheap source of protein and other nutrients except Iron, cow and buffalo milk serves as a major survival food for evey human on the earth. The lactose in milk acts as a energy source, proteins as a essential building source, lipids as stabilizing source and vitamins, minerals as a key functional sources leading to proper balanced diet for survivability. The vegetarians highly rely on the milk and milk products for the nutrient balance in their diet. Milk is the only food which could be affordable by the economically poor people which supplies them a balanced diet even in poverty. Malnutrition in humans due to protein deficiency leads to Marasmus and Kwarshikor, which could be controlled if milk supply is good to that particular individuals. Skim milk powder reconstitution into milk has been helping the poor countries to transport to the remote areas making a provision of diet for survival of undernourished peoples. Milk not only act as a predominant diet for humans but also several animals like companion animals dog and cats.
Impact of Dairy sector on socio-economic factors:
All over the world dairy sector serves as a one of the major revenue generating business for famers. Use of improved dairy farming techniques in a big farms reduced the labour costs improving benefit cost ratio. At the same time most of villagers who are in the edge of the poverty line meet their household needs by the production of average quantity of milk by rearing a crossbred cattle which are adaptable to the climatic conditions and also produces milk. In India, most of the farmers always rely on the integrated farming systems, integration of agricultural and fodder crops with cattle and buffalo rearing. This type of farming gives a confidence for the agri farmers because of additional income from the dairy herds.
Cattle rearing by the economically backward villagers not only provides revenue stability for them as well as it improves the nutritional balance of the households as milk acts as a cheap source of protein available almost everywhere in the world. Small scale production of milk products by the rural people helps them to earn money on their own in the form small entrepreneurship. The rural women empowerment is enhanced in recent days by the Cooperative dairy sectors. The cooperative approach from the governments to improve the milk production has resulted in a positive way with the additional employment to the household womens. The subsidies by the government and dairy sectors increased the people’s interest on the dairy farming. The processed milk and milk products paved the way for the world countries to impart a different to exchange their products to the places where there is shortage of milk making sure the availability of animal protein source throught the world. Though the dairy industry wastes hitting the environment badly, the discoveries of waste into best like whey protein powders from whey a protein rich waste product had started to reduce its harm to the environment. Recycling of water from dairy plants from industries to the agricultural lands reduces the pollutants and environment stress because of dairy farming evolution.
Conclusion:
The human race cannot sustain without milk as that they are very cheap and readily available source of animal protein. Milk form the basis of life forms of mammals as their nutrients and immunity are passively derived only from their mothers milk. Though milk has several impacts on the environment, attempts are being made to reduce the emissions from the dairy farming and industries. The alternative forms of milk such as plan based milk cannot wholey replace the cattle and buffalo milk as the demand in very high. Mitigations should be made to reduce the impact on the climate and environment ensuring the fulfilment of world demand. Further researches to be carried out to make the milk production environment friendly and harmless.
