Scholarly record
ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF FEED ADDITIVES IN DAIRY FARMING: EVIDENCE FROM LATVIA
Abstract
One of the primary elements to achieving targets set out by the European Green Deal in Latvia is mitigation of climate change in livestock production, where dairy farming is one of the leading sources of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the economic and environmental impacts of five types of feed additives in Latvian dairy farming, with aim to reduce emissions. The research analyses milk production statistics, evaluates it together with scientific emission factors and also includes cost data, in order to calculate annual expenditures, emissions reductions, and the possible impacts on milk production and labour demand associated with the implementation of feed additives for dairy cows in Latvia. The performed analysis evaluates following feed additives as lipids, tannins, essential oils, biochar, and the fermentation inhibitor 3-NOP to assess their relative cost-effectiveness. The findings indicate that there is a wide range of cost-effectiveness associated with the five types of feed additives studied, with essential oils and the fermentation inhibitor 3-NOP producing the greatest reductions in GHG emissions for the lowest cost per tonne of CO2 equivalent, whereas tannins and biochar produced less production per value than their purchase price. Use of rapeseed oil can increase milk production by up to 8 kilograms of milk per cow per day, thereby increasing national milk production by 28%, and potentially impacting milk prices and labour requirements. If widely adopted, feed additives could reduce national livestock emissions by up to 23%.
Publication details
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