Abstract:

Over the last five decades the global dairy sector has seen substantive changes with major intensification, scaling-up and efficiency of production driven by demand from a growing human population and disposal incomes. This growth was achievable through the developments in animal breeding, nutrition, feed efficiency, animal health, housing and automation and supporting policies, strategies and organizations. Such changes are not however reflected across the whole dairy sector and while some developing countries have seen a major expansion in small-scale milk production, small-scale dairying in other countries has largely stagnated. Dairying contributes positively to human wellbeing in a variety of different ways: nutrition through quality food products, income and employment, organic fertilizer as well as assets and savings. There are however negative aspects associated with dairying including its contribution to Green House Gases, pollution and waste disposal, food safety and human health, use of grains for feed, animal welfare and erosion of biodiversity.