This methodological concept was then applied to a set of Styrian dairy farms in the Mur and Mürz valleys to assess their eco-efficiency and identify opportunities for improvement. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Cleaner Production in March 2022.
The data on dairy farms is from 2018 and includes a set of 44 dairy farms, of which 21 are organic and 23 are conventionally managed.
The results of the eco-efficiency assessment show that 23 farms are already operating eco-efficiently. Among the non-eco-efficient farms (n=21) are six organic and 15 conventional farms. It was demonstrated that organic dairy farms in the study region exhibit a significantly higher average eco-efficiency than conventional farms.
To improve the eco-efficiency of the 21 non-eco-efficient farms, specific management options were derived, targeting various hotspots on dairy farms. Some of these management options are shown as examples in Table 1.
Table 1: Examples of management options for different hotspots on dairy farms
| Hotspot | Management option |
|---|---|
| Greenhouse gas emissions | Reduction of animal population |
| Resource consumption | Reduction of purchased concentrated feed |
| Eutrophication | Optimize protein content in feed |
| Ecotoxicity | Reduction of purchased concentrated feed |
| Proceeds | Increase in the amount of milk sold |
| Cost | Reduction of purchased concentrated feed |
As shown in Table 1, the purchase of concentrated feed is a key factor affecting many critical areas on dairy farms. Furthermore, Table 1 demonstrates that the path to greater eco-efficiency can involve conflicting objectives (e.g., reducing greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing livestock numbers while simultaneously increasing revenue by selling more milk). Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to improving eco-efficiency. Instead, each farm requires a farm-specific approach, depending on its current situation and the farmers' decisions regarding how to position the operation between minimizing input and maximizing output.
