Hållbar produktion och konsumtion av mjölk: ett forskningsprogram från SLU, RISE och Chalmers

This is the final report from the research program ”Sustainable production and consumption of milk” written by the coordinator Margareta Emanuelson. The research program ranges from the individual cow to environmental impact on farm level, to benefits and new use of grass forage and to a combination of environmental and public health for diet recommendations. The program includes six projects from three research environments: SLU, Chalmers, and RISE. The projects started in 2019 and were completed in December 2023. Here, we highlight main results from the various sub-projects and reflect on the synergy effects that have arisen by combining several projects in one program. Finally, we reflect on what happens next, how the research continues and how the results can be put into practice. The most important results from the program are: • The nutrient density of the diet is a suitable indicator for describing the health effects of the food, which can for example be included in a life cycle analysis (LCA). • Based on national data, indicators for ecosystem services were developed. These show that the varied landscapes of farms with ruminants contribute many important ecosystem services. • The Swedish dairy farms have, relative to other types of operations, significantly the highest soil carbon sequestration, in their soils. When this effect is considered, the climate impact from milk production is notably reduced. • The sustainability of milk production, profitability included, is improved by increasing the lifespan of cows by approximately one year compared to today’s practice. • Feed efficiency is a more reliable measure to use in breeding programs than methane emissions, to reduce climate impact from dairy cows. • To describe the sustainability of the food system, life cycle assessments should be combined with other sustainability assessment frameworks. • The trend towards ever larger and fewer units and higher milk yield per cow provides increased economic efficiency and lower climate impact per kg of milk, but creates problems for biodiversity and resilience. New technology such as type of system or size could enable greater variation in how milk production is carried out. • More diverse milk production throughout Sweden can be a significant effort to increase Swedish food supply, in line with the Swedish Food Strategy. However, achieving this goal necessitates collaborative efforts from all stakeholders, as there is not one single solution that will fit all.