Geography of Dairy Farming
Chris White
Environmental, social, and economic impacts of primary production
Environmental:
- Greenhouse Gases - The cows produce a lot of Methane and
- Water and land use
- Deforestation
- Management and disposal of manure
- Soil erosion
- Nutrient runoff
http://organic-center.org/reportfiles/COFEFFinal_Nov_2.pdf
http://www.animalsaustralia.org/factsheets/dairy_cows.php
Social:
- Australia's 3rd largest rural industry - $13 billion farm, manufacturing and export industry
- Milk utilisation - Cheese (33%), Butter/Solid Milk Powder (28%), Milk (27%) etc.
- Production of main commodities - Milk Powder (333,000 tonnes p/year), Cheese (338,000 tonnes p/year), and Butter (118,200 tonnes p/year)
- Major markets for Australian Dairy Products - Major markets are Australia, Japan, China and Singapore
- Per capita consumption is quite high - Drinking Milk (107 litres), Cheese (13.5kg)
- Dairy Industry workforce - Direct employment 43,000, Indirect employment 100,000
Australian Dairy at a Glace (2012/13) worksheet
Economic
- Australia's 3rd largest rural industry - $13 billion farm, manufacturing and export industry
- Dairy is a major export industry - $2.76 billion
- Dairy Industry Workforce - Has many jobs to offer a lot of people
- Major markets for Australian Dairy Products - Major markets are Australia, Japan, China and Singapore
Australian Dairy at a Glance (2012/13) worksheet
News articles on environmental, social, and economic impacts of dairy farming
Social Impact newspaper article image
Economic Impact newspaper article image
Environmental Impact newspaper article image
Current Issues related to the production of dairy farming
- It costs farmers 43 cents to produce one litre of milk, but they are only getting 38 cents in return. This means they are losing 5 cents per litre, which isn't good for the future.
- Some more issues include water usage, animal health and welfare, as well as finding training and retaining quality staff.
http://www.australiandairyfarmers.com.au/FAQRetrieve.aspx?ID=48222
- The main environmental issue is water and air pollution - the water pollution arises from the bad disposal of manure and the application of fertilisers for forage production.
- Water bodies are also affected by pathogens which were in the manure.
http://www.oecd.org/tad/sustainable-agriculture/33798326.pdf