Page 24 - Dairy Dimension - Jan

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Health Monitoring states that house the greatest number of cattle.
Constant monitoring of cattle health is also essential for Therefore, India should focus on improving cattle health
maintaining low methane emissions. For optimal animal and managing associated emissions, especially in these
health, the ambient temperature should not exceed states.
25°C. Temperatures beyond this can cause heat stress.
Image Source: MDPI The Temperature-Humidity Index (THI), which helps Going Forward
As emissions are a valuable indicator of the dairy
assess heat stress in cattle based on surrounding
industry's productivity, measures to reduce emissions
temperature and humidity, can significantly impact
losses if a threshold is crossed. According to a study at are crucial for India at this stage. Globally, Denmark is
leading the way by focusing on methane emissions from
the National Dairy Research Center, the daily milk yield the dairy industry and taxing emitters. While this rigid
of indigenous cattle decreases by 0.86 liters per unit mechanism has garnered criticism, acknowledging these
increase in THI. This is one reason for low milk emissions is an important lesson for India.
production in summer or the "lean season." Cattle Programs such as the Maharashtra Methane Mission,
stressed by heat, insufficient living space, and other which targets emission reduction by emphasizing the
social factors tend to experience reduced digestion—a enrichment of cattle feed, can serve as a role model for
factor that affects both productivity and emissions. other states. Investing in cattle feed and health
Taking steps to ensure clean and well-ventilated living improvements could target emissions while significantly
spaces for cattle could go a long way in reducing boosting milk productivity, as outlined in the Rashtriya
emissions and boosting productivity. Some Indian start- Gokul Mission. These steps will not only boost India's
ups are already working on solutions to monitor cattle milk productivity but also help the country achieve its
heat and health. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to
The states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya emissions reduction.
Boosting Dairy Productivity: Pradesh—major milk producers—are the largest Source: Economic times
methane emitters in the country. These are also the
The Role of Emission Reduction
India is home to 126 million productive cows and most prominent source of emissions, accounting for 75%
buffaloes, making the country the largest milk producer of emissions from the Indian dairy industry, according to
in the world. Yet, as mentioned in the February 2024 estimates by the National Dairy Development Board
Budget Session, milk productivity—or milk production (NDDB). Enteric fermentation refers to a digestion
per animal—remains low. According to the Food and process in which bacteria in the animal's gut break down
Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, feed, generating methane. The FAO describes how up to
Indian breeds produce an average of 1,550 liters of milk 12% of the gross energy intake is lost as methane, which
per year, compared to 10,000 liters per year produced is detrimental not only to milk productivity but also to
by breeds in the United States and Canada. Rearing the environment.
these exotic breeds in India might not be a viable Strategies to Reduce Methane Emissions and
solution to address the low milk productivity, Improve Productivity
considering their extreme susceptibility to diseases in Feed-Based Solutions
our climatic conditions. Digestion influences methane emissions, meaning the
However, tackling the emissions from the dairy industry nature of the feed is of primary importance. According to
could provide a solution to this issue. A study by a Korean study, modifications in diet can reduce Before After
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada shows that reducing methane emissions from cattle by up to 60%. Therefore,
methane emissions from the dairy industry by 20% could the Indian dairy industry should explore solutions to
increase milk yield by 1 liter per day per cow. This could ease the digestion process, including fine grinding of
result in an additional 38 billion liters of milk per year or feed into pellets and switching to a more grain- or silage-
an increase in revenue of INR 2.2 lakh crore per year for based diet instead of a fully hay-based one. Additionally,
India. small supplements such as red algae, biochar, and
Emissions from Dairy Cattle essential oils can help overcome deficiencies and reduce
Dairy cattle are a major source of greenhouse gases emissions. For instance, research indicates that adding a
(GHGs) such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous red algae supplement equal to 0.25-0.5% of total feed
oxide, primarily produced during their digestion and can reduce methane emissions by 45-68%.
maintenance. Among these, enteric fermentation is the

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