Barriers and perspectives on farmers adoption of feed additives for GHG mitigation in dairy farming

This study offers valuable insights into farmers’ perspectives on the use of feed additives (3-NOP) in reducing methane emissions and highlights associated obstacles that may prevent the accelerated uptake of GHG mitigation measures. Our data originates from a survey with 239 Finnish dairy farmers. While most farmers acknowledge the importance of climate issues, only a small percentage considers the reduction of the environmental impact of milk production the responsibility of the producer. Still, the farmers would prefer to decide for themselves how to reduce emissions, which demonstrates that resistance toward external directives might exist. In addition, there is a discrepancy between economically viable and environmentally responsible management, and this makes farmers more preoccupied with profitability. Furthermore, safety towards feed additives is largely acknowledged, although their efficiency in emission reduction is still unclear to farmers; thus, better communication and education towards sustainable practices is needed.