Comparison of organic and conventional dairy farm economic and environmental performances throughout North West Europe
Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: From an environmental point of view, organic farming (OF) systems have been identified as beneficial thanks to a system allowing fewer losses of nitrogen (N) per ha and lower green house gases (GHG) emissions per ha and per ton of milk (TM). From an economic point of view, milk coming from these OF systems is sold at a higher prize. However, incomes provided by both systems are similar (for similar amount of milk produced). This may be explained by higher input costs per unit of product for OF systems and by more incomes coming from sold crops for conventional farming (CF) systems. \nTherefore, on the one hand CF systems may improve their environmental performances by reducing the amount of inputs brought into the system, for example through a better forage and fertilisation management. On the other hand, the valorisation of milk through a differentiated production or market (price premium due to a label and/or on-farm transformation and/or sale) may bring them higher incomes. OF system may increase their incomes by selling one cash crop destined for human consumption and by finding the good balance between intensivity and extensivity in order to better valorise the inputs brought into the system. \n
Authors: Arnaud Grignard, Didier Stilmant, J. Oenema, S. Tirard, Lies Debruyne, Sylvain Hennart, Daniel Jamar, J. Boonen
Language: English
Subfield: Agronomy and Crop Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W62068397