Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Dairy Sector: A Life Cycle Assessment

This technical document assesses the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the global dairy cattle sector. Its overall goal is to provide estimates of GHG emissions associated with milk production and processing for main regions and farming systems of the world. These results aims to help inform the public debate on GHG emissions, and support research, development and extension efforts to improve the sustainability performance of dairy farming. The specific objective of the study is two-fold: 1) to develop a methodology based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach applicable to the global dairy sector; and 2) to apply this methodology to assess, and provide insights about, GHG emissions from the dairy cattle sector.