PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The dairy sector in Lombardy contributes more than 37% to Italian milk production. In the Po Valley region, nearly 97% of the total ammonia emissions come from the agricultural sector, the bovine dairies contributing some 32% of this share. As a result, around 30% of the PM10 emissions in Lombardy are related to ammonia from the agricultural sector. In addition, about 100 000 tonnes/year of nitrogen-based fertilisers are used, producing a total emission of CO2 eq. of about 350 000 tonnes/year.
OBJECTIVES
LIFE DOP aimed to promote the transition to a circular economy along the whole value chain of the dairy sector. The project would evaluate and demonstrate a new model, and apply it to the production of Grana Padano DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta/Protected Designation of Origin) and Parmigiano Reggiano DOP. The project would integrate all the phases along production chains (from livestock rearing to production), in order to re-use all of the waste products/materials generated. This not only would promote a circular economy and greater resource efficiency, but also reduce PM10, ammonia, NOx and CO2 emissions. In turn, the re-use of slurry as fertiliser would decrease ammonia emissions and increase soil organic content, thus contributing to the Soil Thematic Strategy.
Specific objectives included:
- Combining good practices to implement a circular economy model for dairy production chains, to comply with the Nitrates Directive through the recovery of livestock slurry for biogas production, application of manure on soils for more sustainable nutrient management, rearing livestock according to sustainability criteria, and defining the composition of feed rations to reduce ammonia emissions;
- Establishing a sustainable production territorial model (VIRGIL: VIRtous or Green and Sustainable Dairy Production);
- Defining an LCA model to help guide the entire value chain towards a more sustainable approach, and to define its Product Environmental Footprint (PEF);
- Developing a circular economy model, based on the Grana Padano value chain, that is replicable in other European countries;
- Promoting resource efficiency along the entire value chain by introducing interlinked processes of waste re-use and greenhouse gas emissions reduction;
- Implementing measures to safeguard and improve soil quality; and
- Developing a monitoring and evaluation model for innovative techniques for the pre-treatment of slurry/manure and its use in biogas plants.
RESULTS
The LIFE DOP project achieved its objective of promoting the transition to a circular economy in the dairy sector, specifically for the production of the high-quality cheeses Grana Padano PDO and Parmigiano Reggiano PDO. The project team devised a protocol for good farming and manufacturing practices, called the “VIRGILIO model”, which was tested and adapted to the entire value chain of high-quality dairy production, from livestock rearing to cheese processing. Good practices were introduced and demonstrated in three distinct areas of Lombardy (Italy), to efficiently re-use the waste materials generated, and reduce overall environmental impact on water, air and soil from intensive livestock breeding and cheese processing. In particular, the project launched the initiative of the stock exchange of animal manure (Borsa Liquami), under which a large number of dairy farmers sell their animal slurry to biogas plants. The project team developed a prototype to make the slurry more compatible with the technical requirements of biogas production.
In terms of slurry management (to derive fractions for biogas plants), the achieved benefits during the project’s lifespan were: methane emission savings (970 tons); the production of renewable energy (37 million kWh); decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during milk production (by 8-10% compared to conventional practices); reduced use of corn silage (food crop) in biogas plants (by 29 000 t/year) due to improved use of animal manure; and the sale of renewable fertilisers (22 000 tons of solid digestate), thus avoiding new inputs of mineral fertilisers. In addition, the export of recovered fertilisers decreases the nitrogen load in areas with high stocking rates.
In terms of dairy farm management, the good practices promoted by the project caused decrease of GHG (CO2) emission during milk production (on average by 15%, though on some farms it was decreased by 24% to 37%). In terms of nutrient management in the fields, the project's good farming practices produced acceptable yields while decreasing ammonia pollution both in air (emissions decreased by 40-70% compared to standard practices) and in local aquifers. The focus was on efficiently recycling animal manure, which cannot be simply returned to agricultural land because most of the area is classified as "vulnerable to nitrate", according to the EU Nitrates Directive.
The economic assessment showed that the full implementation of the VIRGILIO model to the value chain of Parmigiano/Grana cheese is feasible. There are slightly higher costs to the operators, which could be recovered from consumers willing to pay for the environmental services associated to the product or from civil society as a whole. The project beneficiary designed a new business model, with the goal to launch a new line of certified dairy products produced according to the VIRGILIO model. Along with the continuing activity of the stock exchange of animal manure, this will make the project’s results sustainable.
In addition to the EU Nitrates Directive, the project results also contribute to the implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive, the European Clean Air Policy Package, the National Emissions Ceilings (NEC) Directive, and the Strategy on Circular Economy. The project’s VIRGILIO model can also contributes to the Farm to Fork Strategy and the forthcoming EU Climate Law, crucial components of the European Green Deal.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
