Palm-Free Fat Supplement Reduces Dairy Carbon Footprint by 64% - UFAC UK
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Reduced feed carbon footprint with new palm-free fat supplement

A paper, published in the journal Animal Feed Science and Technology, has concluded that a new palm-free fat supplement can replace palm-based fats in dairy diets, to improve efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of milk production.

The paper, co-authored by internationally renowned Professor of Dairy Science at the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences, Phil Garnsworthy, alongside Neil Saunders and Jennifer R. Goodman, reports that the new supplement increased milk yield, and milk fat and protein concentrations, with no difference in dry matter intake, when compared to a calcium soap, palm-based fat.

Professor Garnsworthy led the trial project, utilising the research capabilities within the Centre for Dairy Science Innovation (CDSI) at Nottingham University. It compared the rumen inert palm-free fat supplement envirolac, manufactured from locally sourced vegetable oils together with marine oils, against a palm-oil based control fat supplement.

Supported by a grant from Innovate UK, awarded through the Centre of Innovation in Excellence in Livestock (CIEL), the research set out to determine the effect of the envirolac supplement for dairy cows on milk production, cow health, fertility, feed conversion efficiency and potential implications for healthier milk for human consumption.

Professor Phil Garnsworthy on a dairy farm

The key highlights flagged up in the paper revealed –

  • envirolac is a palm-free fat supplement for dairy cows that has a low carbon footprint.
  • Cows fed envirolac produced more milk with better composition than palm-based fat.
  • No effect on methane emissions or feed intake, so cows were more efficient.
  • envirolac reduced feed carbon footprint per litre of milk yield by 11 %.

The paper also states that the carbon footprint of envirolac was 64% lower than that of a calcium soap, which reduced the feed carbon footprint, per unit of energy-corrected milk, by that 11% figure.

Professor Garnsworthy comments, “The aim of our trial was to demonstrate that envirolac performed just as well as a calcium soap, however what we actually discovered was that there was a significant increase in milk yield and butterfat production, with no impact on dry matter intake. Overall, we found an increase in feed conversion efficiency.”

He adds, “Targeted and precision feeding of envirolac offers producers significant financial gains through improved quantity and quality of milk produced and reduced cost of concentrate feeding.”

The feed carbon footprint of the new fat supplement was approximately one third of the footprint of the control palm-based supplement. The reduction in carbon footprint could also help to reduce land use change associated with growing palm trees.

“Although UK fat supplements use palm acid oil from sustainable sources, palm oil production can be associated with deforestation,” adds Professor Garnsworthy.

Developed by UFAC-UK, envirolac represents a breakthrough in feed formulations, and reflects the nutritional supplement manufacturer’s commitment to helping the dairy industry reduce its carbon footprint, while maintaining production efficiencies.

envirolac is available to market through UFAC-UK and its distributor network of feed merchants and feed compounders.