SusAn 30 SusCatt Increasing productivity, resource efficiency and product quality for competitiveness of forage and grazing based cattle

The productivity of milk and meat production from European cattle has increased considerably in recent decades. However, the sustainability of this intensification is questioned due to environmental, animal welfare trade-offs, and growing reliance on edible food as feed. In the SusCatt project we evaluated the productivity, resource-use efficiency and consumers? acceptability of a transition to high forage and pasture diets for European cattle. The project focused on dairy, integrated dairy and beef and specialized beef production systems. The project was a co-operation between seven research institutions in Europe from six countries and is coordinated by the NIBIO In the national part of the study, we examined the resource use efficiency, environmental impact and the economical results of dairy production in Norway and conducted a survey of farmers? and consumers? attitude to grass-fed milk and meat. We received data from the dairy co-operative TINE on feeding, production, animal health and fertility parameters, and farm account, and data from agricultural land use in Central Norway. In total, we had data from three consecutive years of 200 dairy farms. Farm economic performance were grouped based on their annual concentrate feeding per cow for the bottom (Low), middle (Medium) and top (High) third of farms. Gross and net margin per kg milk produced were better for the bottom-third than for the top-third of farms. This data, on production and economy, were used together with life cycle assessment tool (FARMnor) to estimate some environmental indicators in order to compare the group of farms and to test if there is relationship between economic and environmental performance. We adjusted the FARMnor model and were able to calculate emission of climate gasses and the use of primary energy linked to produced milk and meat, individually for each farm. In the model, both production of inputs, as fertilizer, concentrates and fuel, from cradle to farm and on-farm emissions, which are dependent on farm production as milk yield and fertilization level, are included. There were large variation and some farms produce milk and meat with much lower emission of climate-gasses than others, but there was no difference between the concentrate groups. Our analysis does not support the general assumption that higher concentrate feeding and milk production lowers global warming potential and energy needed per kg of milk and meat produced compared with more extensive systems. Area used to produce crops in purchased concentrate as the proportion of the total area occupied were less on ?Low? farm than the ?High? concentrate?. However, the total land occupation per kg milk and meat produced was greater on ?Low? farms than the two other groups. The ?Low? farm used larger area for forage production and grazing, while the land occupation for production of feed in concentrate per kg produce similar among the group of farms. Farmers, as well as consumers interest for grass-fed meat and milk seams to share the same starting point. Based on a nationally representative panel study combined with a qualitative in-depth study of ?grass-fed farmers?, we found that one main reason for producing and buying grass-fed is that both groups perceive grass-fed to be better for the environment, animal welfare as well as for the climate. Indeed, many farmers do also find grass-fed animal husbandry to be both more challenging and interesting than in more common conventional production. In addition, we found reason to believe (we say believe here because our material is too small to conclude strongly) that some consumer groups tend to look at grass-fed products as symbols of identities rather than solely a conscious act for promoting a specific production. Factors, based on international literature, which were expected to be stronger than we found in our material ? specifically health and quality / taste ? seems to be weaker in a Norwegian context than for instance in Europe, Oceania and North America. We recognize this opinion from studies of organic farming in the 90ies. It might be explained by the fact that consumers as well as the farmers don?t see the conventional Norwegian agriculture as industrialized as in other countries. At the same time as farmers view their choice to produce grass-fed meat and dairy products as a resistance to what they see as a future development of Norwegian agriculture - more than a resistance to the agriculture we all have today - consumers' preferences are also motivated by a desire to be "pro-active", rather than a strong critique of the agriculture we have today. A look at developments elsewhere in Europe indicate that there are reasons to believe that Norwegian grass-fed production could represent an alternative to cutting meat and milk production completely from the menu for groups that perceive Norwegian agriculture as more and more ?industrial.?

Tilpassinga av LCA verktøyet FARMnor ble utvikla for å kunne berekne miljøpåverknaden av mjølkeproduksjonen under norske forhold. For å kunne gjennomføre slike berekningar for kvar av dei 200 gardsbruka i SusCatt-prosjektet, blei modellen vidareutvikla. Vi har derfor fått eit betre grunnlag for å gjere livsløpsanalysar av mjølkeproduksjon på gardsnivå. Verktøyet kan brukast til å analysere variasjon og effektar av driftsopplegg på miljøindikatorar i praksis og avdekkje dei faktorane som betyr mykje. Såleis kan det brukast, saman med rådgjevarar, å finne dei driftsfaktorane ein bør ta tak for å gjere forbetringar på einskilde gardsbruk. Gjennom å studere bøndene sin motivasjon for grasfora produksjon og forbrukarane sine preferansar for grasfora produkt, har prosjektet avdekka at det finst eit moglegheitsrom som kan nyttast i marknadstilpassinga av framtidige storfeprodukt som også harmonerer med primærprodusentane sin interesser

The productivity of milk and meat production from European cattle has increased considerably in recent decades. However, the sustainability of this intensification is questioned due to environmental and animal welfare trade-offs and growing reliance on edible food and imported soy as feed. The proposed project aims to evaluate the productivity, resource-use efficiency and consumers' acceptability of a transition to high forage and pasture diets for European cattle. The project will focus on dairy, integrated dairy/beef and specialized beef production systems, addressing the calls three research areas: - Productivity (including milk yield and growth rate), product quality (including nutritional and sensory quality) animal health and welfare (including production diseases), and economic performance - Resource use efficiency (including use of non-edible food as feed, nitrogen and phosphorous use efficiency and enteric methane emission) and environmental impacts, both assessed experimentally, by modelling and life cycle analysis - Consumers' appreciation The main hypotheses are that transition to high forage and non-food diets will enhance product quality, animal health and welfare, resource-use efficiency and consumer acceptability, by matching appropriate diets, breeds and production systems and by rearing all dairy bred calves. The project involves modelling, experimental and participatory R&D activities and covers contribution from SMEs (farmers, advisory service) and pools expertize from seven academic centres of excellence in six European countries. The work will be organised in four work packages; two focusing on beef and milk production, feeding into one on overall assessment of economic, resource-use efficiency and societal acceptance and the fourth is dedicated to disseminating our findings.