Relationship between environmental impact and on-farm dairy cow welfare in Parmigiano Reggiano farms

Parmigiano Reggiano (PR), a very hard and long-ripened cheese, is one of the most significant dairy chains in Italy, under the regulation of a specific Consortium. This study aimed to assess the relationship between global warming (GWP, kg CO2-eq) and acidification potential (AP, g SO2-eq) and on-farm animal welfare in PR farms. Data derived from 243 farms (145±159 cows, 26±6 kg fat- and protein-corrected milk – FPCM/lactating cow/d). The GWP (global-related impact, per 1 kg FPCM) and AP (local-related one, per 1 m2) were estimated with Life Cycle Assessment. All farms underwent an assessment of animal welfare with IZSLER/CReNBA protocol, that encompassed various areas, including management (A), structure (B), and animal-based measure (C), utilizing a scoring system ranging from 0 to 100. Values of GWP, AP and A-B-C areas scores were analysed with Pearson’s correlation analysis. The GWP resulted positively and significantly correlated with AP and negatively with A and B scores, although all with low r values (0.25, -0.37 and -0.23, respectively). AP resulted not correlated with A, B or C scores. Within welfare scores, A and B resulted highly correlated (r = 0.60). When considering only on-farm AP, no correlation was found with GWP, A, B or C scores. In conclusion, various aspects of a dairy farm’s overall sustainability exhibit complex relationships. However, there is room for improvement in one aspect without worsening some others.