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Low-input dairy farming in Europe: Exploring a context-specific notion

Author

Listed:
  • Bijttebier, J.
  • Hamerlinck, J.
  • Moakes, S.
  • Scollan, N.
  • Van Meensel, J.
  • Lauwers, L.

Abstract

Frequently acknowledged as coming forward to environmental issues by reducing external input use, low input (LI) dairy farming is gaining attention. The absence of a clearly delineated description of LI dairying, however, hampers identification and analysis of these farming systems. This paper aims at empirically examining, EU wide, the farm structure, production intensity and productivity of LI with respect to their high input (HI) conventional counterpart and to organic dairying (ORG). A pragmatic quartiles-based categorization of farms from the Farm Accountancy Data Network of 20 important EU dairy countries, with the value of external input costs per grazing livestock unit (GLU) is used as prior discriminating indicator between LI and HI. LI dairy farms are smaller than HI dairy farms, in particular when farm size is expressed as total farm capital. Other variables that differentiate between LI and HI in most countries are number of dairy cows per GLU and area of forage and grassland on total agricultural area. Partial productivities in HI farms exceed those in LI farms, most apparent is milk production per cow. Differentiation of forage production between LI and HI is less uniform throughout Europe. A pairwise matching of differentiation profiles between countries indicates that differentiation between LI and HI is country specific. A similar diversity in country-specific differentiation between ORG and LI farming is found.

Suggested Citation

  • Bijttebier, J. & Hamerlinck, J. & Moakes, S. & Scollan, N. & Van Meensel, J. & Lauwers, L., 2017. "Low-input dairy farming in Europe: Exploring a context-specific notion," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 43-51.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:156:y:2017:i:c:p:43-51
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2017.05.016
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Van Meensel, Jef & Lauwers, Ludwig & Van Huylenbroeck, Guido & Van Passel, Steven, 2010. "Comparing frontier methods for economic-environmental trade-off analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 207(2), pages 1027-1040, December.
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    1. Nigel Scollan & Susanne Padel & Niels Halberg & John Hermansen & Pip Nicholas & Marketta Rinne & Raffaele Zanoli & Werner Zollitsch & Ludwig Lauwers, 2017. "Organic and Low†Input Dairy Farming: Avenues to Enhance Sustainability and Competitiveness in the EU," EuroChoices, The Agricultural Economics Society, vol. 16(3), pages 40-45, December.
    2. Toro-Mujica, Paula & Vera, Raúl & Pinedo, Pablo & Bas, Fernando & Enríquez-Hidalgo, Daniel & Vargas-Bello-Pérez, Einar, 2020. "Adaptation strategies based on the historical evolution for dairy production systems in temperate areas: A case study approach," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    3. Elizabeth Ahikiriza & Jef Meensel & Xavier Gellynck & Ludwig Lauwers, 2021. "Heterogeneity in frontier analysis: does it matter for benchmarking farms?," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 69-84, December.
    4. Véronique De Herde & Kevin Maréchal & Philippe V. Baret, 2019. "Lock-ins and Agency: Towards an Embedded Approach of Individual Pathways in the Walloon Dairy Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-19, August.
    5. Schaak, Henning & Mußhoff, Oliver, 2018. "Understanding the adoption of grazing practices in German dairy farming," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 230-239.
    6. Smith, Laurence G. & Westaway, Sally & Mullender, Samantha & Ghaley, Bhim Bahadur & Xu, Ying & Lehmann, Lisa Mølgaard & Pisanelli, Andrea & Russo, Giuseppe & Borek, Robert & Wawer, Rafał & Borzęcka, M, 2022. "Assessing the multidimensional elements of sustainability in European agroforestry systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).

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