Added value of dairy farming in mountain areas: an Ecosystem Services approach

This study aims to analyse synergies and trade-offs between efficiency, environmental footprint and non-provisioning ecosystem services in dairy cattle farms in Eastern Alps (Veneto, South Tyrol, Friuli and Carinthia). Seventy-five dairy cattle farms conferring milk to 10 cooperative dairies were sampled. The following methodological approaches were applied: environmental footprint (Life Cycle Assessment, LCA); animal welfare; analysis of biodiversity in the grasslands managed by each farm. A LCA approach was used to calculate: Global Warming Potential (GWP), Eutrophication (EP), Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) and Land Occupation (LO). Production efficiency was calculated as gross energy conversion ratio, considering also the diverting of human edible resources. Animal-based indicators of welfare were assessed through direct observation of cattle or through data retrieval from farm records according to the EFSA protocol on animal welfare assessment on small-scale dairy farms. Correlations among the different indicators were tested to analyse synergies and tradeoffs between efficiency, environmental footprint, animal welfare and grassland biodiversity. The average herd size was 42 ± 27 LU, the milk yield was 6299 ± 1923 FPCM/cow per year and the agricultural area was 27 ± 20 ha, mainly grassland, with a large variability of farm self-sufficiency (from 14 to 100% of diet dry matter). The impact categories calculated with LCA approach were in line with literature: GWP =1.32 ± 0.42 kg CO2-eq; EP =7.96 ± 3.36 g PO4-eq; CED =3.96 ± 2.14 MJ; LO =2.18 ± 1.33 m2/y, 1 kg of FPCM as functional unit. The higher production, the lower impact categories, but the use of external inputs, especially human edible concentrates, affected this result. Farms with high self-sufficiency can maintain grasslands with a good balance between production and species richness. Results on animal welfare assessment were similar to the ones presented in previous studies: for example, the average percentage of dairy cows with a level of somatic cells higher than 400,000 was 9.4%±1.06 and the average percentage of lameness (mild and severe) was 8.6%±1.06. These results evidenced that the alpine dairy farming systems are able to produce high-quality products by using local resources. A multi-indicators approach is recommended to analyse the sustainability and the efficiency of these systems, considering the trade-offs between production and non-provisioning ecosystem services.