A ground-breaking report mapping World Animal Feeding Systems in the Dairy Sector was launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Dairy Federation (IDF) and the IFCN Dairy Research Network (IFCN) with support from the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF).
Gathering information from over 65 countries across 6 continents and a number of production systems, the report presents for the first time such a large set of data on dairy animal feeding systems. Animal feeding is the first step in the production of milk and affects the rest of the production chain.
Information on feeding systems is necessary for estimating the environmental impact of the livestock sector; for developing diets and feeding strategies to reduce the carbon footprint and to optimize milk composition; for enhancing animal productivity, health and welfare; for increasing the quality and safety of animal products; and for improving economic sustainability of milk production.
The "World Mapping of Animal Feeding Systems in the Dairy Sector" report should serve as a valuable resource for dairy processors, animal feed professionals, dairy farmers and their advisers, as well as policy makers. It can be used both to compare and improve feeding systems already in use by examining the success of similar systems from around the world and for the development of new feeding systems.
A copy of the report can be downloaded at the FAO website at the following link: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3913e.pdf
