Development Trends in Dairy Farming in the Peat Meadow Region

This open, water-rich peat meadow area is of great international importance as a breeding ground for meadow birds. There are excellent opportunities to boost biodiversity by expanding and adapting agricultural nature and landscape management. There are also major challenges relating to land subsidence: land subsidence caused by the oxidation of peat results in the production of greenhouse gases (CO₂). Water quality is important for the healthy development of nature in ditches and on riverbanks, as well as in the nature reserves within the Green Heart. Ammonia emissions are a key issue for the dairy farming sector, as the ammonia released from livestock housing and during the spreading of manure can be carried by the wind to other parts of the Netherlands, where it can contribute to eutrophication and acidification of nitrogen-sensitive natural habitats. Fieldlab Groene Hart aims to accelerate the transition to sustainable dairy farming in the western peat meadow region. Fieldlab Groene Hart is seeking promising development pathways for the dairy farming sector. The aim of this report is to assess the economic viability of these promising development pathways in relation to climate, environmental and biodiversity targets, and to demonstrate their implications for economic returns.