The list of possible measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions on dairy farms has been expanded to include new options. These were selected based on a thorough analysis and in collaboration with the participating farms, taking farm-specific indicators into account. Through consultations and with the help of farm dossiers, 13 pilot farms implemented various measures in 2023. By 2023, the potential for over 100 feasible reduction options had been identified; since then, around 200 reduction options have been documented. This figure includes ALL implemented measures, although different farms sometimes chose the same measures. The effective number of different reduction measures amounts to 60. This demonstrates that many small improvements can help farms achieve greater greenhouse gas efficiency. Many of the measures can be found in the brochure "Climate Protection in Agriculture": raumberg-gumpenstein.at/klimaschutzinfo.
The measures were divided according to the following emission categories:
- Building
- machines
- Energy (diesel, electricity)
- Animal husbandry (CH)4)
- Animal husbandry (manure)
- Fertilization (N2O)
- Feed supply (N2O)and
- feed purchase
At the beginning of 2024, the project was expanded to a total of 56 farms. Their greenhouse gas emissions for the preceding calendar year 2023 were calculated according to LCA standards and ISO 14040 (14067). The carbon footprint (CFP) of the farms ranges from approximately 0.3 to 3.4 kg CO₂eqper kg FPCM, 1,500 to 14,000 kg CO₂eqper hectare of farmland, and 1 to 30 kg CO₂eqper EUR of income contribution. This takes into account, firstly, the different functions of agriculture, including the ability to generate income. Secondly, the resulting values depend on the greenhouse gas potential metrics used. Thirdly, this range also reflects differences in farm management.
As part of the project, the farms were classified into four archetypes or management classes: extensive, intensive, efficient, and inefficient management. Measures to reduce emissions were, and in the course of the project, tailored to the specific conditions of each farm type.
A key project objective is to transfer knowledge and expertise on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to a larger number of dairy farms. This includes compiling the knowledge and developing an advisory concept as the project progresses.
