The Effect of Climate Change on Milk Yield in New Zealand: A Case Study of Fonterra
Subject Areas : Camel
1 - ICL Graduate Business School, Auckland, New Zealand
2 - ICL Graduate Business School, Auckland, New Zealand
Keywords: Climate Change, milk yield, humidity, temperature, New Zealand,
Abstract :
Climate change affects milk yield, which may have a profound impact on the dairy industry. Taking Fonterra as an example, this study analyses the climate data of 99 consecutive months from June 2012 to August 2020 and the corresponding monthly milk yield data of North Island and South Island. The results show that the monthly milk yield correlates with the monthly mean temperature, the monthly extreme maximum temperature, the monthly extreme minimum temperature, the monthly mean relative humidity, and the monthly mean temperature and humidity index (THI). In addition, with the increase of annual mean temperature in New Zealand, the annual milk yield of North Island decreases with the increase of temperature. Fonterra needs to take measures to mitigate the negative impact of climate warming on milk yield. However, in the recent nine years, South Island's annual milk yield increases with annual mean temperature. Furthermore, regression equations with climate factors as independent variables and monthly milk yield as dependent variables are established for North Island and South Island. In North Island, the monthly milk yield changed periodically with time. The findings of the study show that the annual milk yield will decrease with the increase of temperature due to global warming in North Island. However, South Island needs to deal with the negative impact of high temperature on milk yield in summer. Therefore, Fonterra needs to take immediate measures to deal with the negative impact of climate change.
Ali S. (2016). Effect of climate change on milk production of Holstein cows maintained in the Nile delta of Egypt. MS Thesis. Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Balhara A., Nayan V., Dey A., Singh K., Dahiya S. and Singh I. (2001). Climate change and buffalo farming in major milk producing states of India-Present status and need for addressing concerns. Indian J. Anim. Sci. 87(4), 403-411.
Barash H., Silanikove N., Shamay A. and Ezra E. (2001). Interrelationships among ambient temperature, day length, and milk yield in dairy cows under a Mediterranean climate. J. Dairy Sci. 84(10), 2314-2320.
Bouyeh M., Seidavi A., Mohammadi H., Sahoo A., Laudadio V. and Tufarelli V. (2017). Effect of climate region and stocking density on ostrich (Struthio camelus) productive performances. Reprod. Domest. Anim. 52(1), 44-48.
Bedhiaf-Romdhani S. and Djemali M. (2017). Study of the environmental effects on Holstein cows' milk performance under Tunisian conditions. Univ. J. Agric. Res. 5(4), 209-212.
Bekele S. (2017). Impacts of climate change on livestock production: A review. J. Nat. Sci. Res. 7(8), 56-65.
Brandt P., Herold M. and Rufino M.C. (2018). The contribution of sectoral climate change mitigation options to national targets: A quantitative assessment of dairy production in Kenya. Environ. Res. Lett. 13(3), 034016.
Brouček J., Letkovičová M. and Kovalčuj K. (1991). Estimation of cold stress effect on dairy cows. Int. J. biometeorol. 35(1), 29-32.
Brown M.E., Antle J.M., Backlund P., Carr E.R., Easterling W.E., Walsh M.K., Ammann C., Attavanich W., Barrett C.B., Bellemare M.F., Dancheck V., Funk C., Grace K., Ingram J.S.I., Jiang H., Maletta H., Mata T., Murray A., Ngugi M., Ojima D., O’Neill B. and Tebaldi C. (2015). Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the U.S. Food System. WebMD. Available at:
AAhttp://www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/FoodSecurity2015Assessment/FullAssessment.pdf.
Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand. (2020). About the NZ Dairy Industry. WebMD. Available at: https://www.dcanz.com/about-the-nz-dairy-industry/.
Dairy Reporter. (2020). Dairy Sector Takes Issue with IATP Report. WebMD. Available at: https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2020/06/23/Dairy-sector-takes-issue-with-IATP-report.
Das R., Sailo L., Verma N., Bharti P. and Saikia J. (2016). Impact of heat stress on health and performance of dairy animals: A review. Vet. World. 9(3), 260-268.
Dellar M., Topp C.F.E., Banos G. and Wall E. (2018). A meta-analysis on the effects of climate change on the yield and quality of European pastures. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 265, 413-420.
Dunshea F.R., Oluboyede K., DiGiacomo K., Leury B.J. and Cottrell J.J. (2019). Betaine improves milk yield in grazing dairy cows supplemented with concentrates at high temperatures. Animals. 9(2), 57-68.
El-Wishy A.B. (2013). Fertility of Holstein cattle in a subtropical climate of Egypt. Iranian J. Appl. Anim. Sci. 3(1), 45-51.
Ergon E., Seddaiu G., Korhonen P., Virkajärvi P., Bellocchi G., Jørgensen M., Østrem L., Reheul D. and Volaire F. (2018). How can forage production in Nordic and Mediterranean Europe adapt to the challenges and opportunities arising from climate change? European J. Agron. 92, 97-106.
Fonterra Dairy Cooperative. (2020). Climate Change. WebMD. Available at: https://www.fonterra.com/nz/en/embracing-sustainability/our-commitments/climate-change.html.
Gauly M., Bollwein H., Breves G., Brueggemann K., Danicke S., Das G., Demeler J., Hansen H., Isselstein J., König S., Loholter M., Martinsohn M., Meyer U., Potthoff M., Sanker C., Schröder B., Wrage N., Meibaum B., von Samson-Himmelstjerna G., Stinshoff H. and Wrenzycki C. (2013). Future consequences and challenges for dairy cow production systems arising from climate change in Central Europe-a review. Animal. 7(5), 1-17.
Gholami M., Chamani M., Seidavi A., Sadeghi A.A. and Aminafschar M. (2020). Effects of stocking density and climate region on performance, immunity, carcass characteristics, blood constitutes, and economical parameters of broiler chickens. R. Bras. Zootec. 49, e20190049.
Herbut P., Angrecka S. and Godyń D. (2018). Effect of the duration of high air temperature on cow’s milking performance in moderate climate conditions. Ann. Anim. Sci. 18(1), 195-207.
Hill D.L. and Wall E. (2015). Dairy cattle in a temperate climate: the effects of weather on milk yield and composition depend on management. Animal. 9(1), 138-149.
Hill D.L. and Wall E. (2017). Weather influences feed intake and feed efficiency in a temperate climate. J. Dairy Sci. 100(3), 2240-2257.
Hristov A.N., Degaetano A.T., Rotz C.A., Hoberg E., Skinner R.H., Felix T., Li H., Patterson P.H., Roth G., Hall M., Ott T.L., Baumgard L.H., Staniar W., Hulet R.M., Dell C.J., Brito A.F. and Hollinger D.Y. (2017). Climate change effects on livestock in the Northeast US and strategies for adaptation. Clim. Chang. 146(1), 33-45.
Kekana T.W., Nherera-Chokuda F.V., Muya M.C., Manyama K.M. and Lehloenya K.C. (2018). Milk production and blood metabolites of dairy cattle as influenced by thermal-humidity index. Trop. Anim. Health Prod. 50(4), 921-924.
Kendall P.E., Nielsen P.P., Webster J.R., Verkerk G.A., Littlejohn R.P. and Matthews L.R. (2006). The effects of providing shade to lactating dairy cows in a temperate climate. Livest. Sci. 103(1), 148-157.
Marami Milani M.R. (2016). The effect of climate variability on main components of cow milk in Iran. Ph D. Thesis. University of Kassel, German.
Marami Milani M.R., Henc, A., Rahmani E. and Ploeger A. (2016). Applying least absolute shrinkage selection operator and Akaike information criterion analysis to find the best multiple linear regression models between climate indices and components of cow’s milk. Foods. 5(3), 52-61.
McManus C., Castanheira M., Paiva S.R., Lavandini H., Fioravanti M.C.S., Paludo G.R., Bianchini E. and Corrêa P.S. (2011). Use of multivariate analyses for determining heat tolerance in Brazilian cattle. Trop. Anim. Health Prod. 43(3), 623-630.
Mirara A. and Maitho T. (2013). Monitoring rainfall data to estimate milk production in Mweiga location, Nyeri County, Kenya. Livest. Res. Rural Dev. 25(8), 1-8.
Moreki J.C. and Topito C.M. (2013). Effect of climate change on dairy production in Botswana and its suitable mitigation strategies. Online J. Anim. Feed Res. 3(6), 216-221.
Mote S.S., Chauhan D.S. and Ghosh N. (2016). Effect of environment factors on milk production and lactation length under different seasons in crossbred cattle. Indian J. Anim. Res. 50(2), 175-180.
Mylostyvyi R. and Chernenko O. (2019). Correlations between environmental factors and milk production of Holstein cows. Data. 4(3), 103-111.
NIWA. (2020). About National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). WebMD. Available at: https://niwa.co.nz/about.
Ouellet V., Cabrera V.E., Fadul-Pacheco L. and Charbonneau É. (2019). The relationship between the number of consecutive days with heat stress and milk production of Holstein dairy cows raised in a humid continental climate. J. Dairy Sci. 102(9), 8537-8545.
Pinedo P.J. and De Vries A. (2017). Season of conception is associated with future survival, fertility, and milk yield of Holstein cows. J. Dairy Sci. 100(8), 6631-6639.
Ranli Q.I.N.G., Guoqing Q.I.N.G., Guangrong Y.A.N., Zhijun Y.A.N.G. and Meilan X.I.E. (2017). Relation between climate and milk yield of Holstein in Nanshan. Agric. Sci. Technol. 18(4), 665-670.
Sae-Tiao T., Koonawootrittriron S., Suwanasopee T. and Elzo M.A. (2017). 508: trends for diurnal temperature variation and relative humidity and their impact on milk yield of dairy cattle in tropical climates. J. Anim. Sci. 95, 248-258.
Sartori R., Bastos M.R. and Wiltbank M.C. (2010). Factors affecting fertilisation and early embryo quality in single and superovulated dairy cattle. Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 22, 151-158.
Scharf B., Carroll J.A., Riley D.G., Chase Jr C.C., Coleman S.W., Keisler D.H., Weaber R. and Spiers D.E. (2010). Evaluation of physiological and blood serum differences in heat-tolerant (Romosinuano) and heat-susceptible (Angus) Bos taurus cattle during controlled heat challenge. J. Anim. Sci. 88(7), 2321-2336.
Silanikove N. and Koluman N. (2015). Impact of climate change on the dairy industry in temperate zones: Predictions on the overall negative impact and on the positive role of dairy goats in adaptation to earth warming. Small Rumin. Res. 123(1), 27-34.
Sinha R., Ranjan A., Lone S., Rahim A., Devi I. and Tiwari S. (2017). The impact of climate change on livestock production and reproduction: Ameliorative management. Int. J. Livest. Res. 7(6), 1-8.
Sloat L.L., Gerber J.S., Samberg L.H., Smith W.K., Herrero M., Ferreira L.G., Godde C.M. and West P.C. (2018). Increasing importance of precipitation variability on global livestock grazing lands. Nat. Clim. Chang. 8(3), 214-218.
Stull C.L., Messam L.M., Collar C.A., Peterson N.G., Castillo A.R., Reed B.A., Andersen K.L. and VerBoort W.R. (2008). Precipitation and temperature effects on mortality and lactation parameters of dairy cattle in California. J. Dairy Sci. 91(12), 4579-4591.
Tata E.S., Kometa S.S. and Gur A.S. (2012). The implications of rainfall variability on cattle and milk production in Jakiri subdivision, north west region, Cameroon. J. Agric. Sci. 4(10), 237-246.
Teixeira E.I., Fischer G., Van Velthuizen H., Walter C. and Ewert F. (2013). Global hot-spots of heat stress on agricultural crops due to climate change. Agric. Forest Meteorol. 170, 206-215.
Tucker C.B., Rogers A.R., Verkerk G.A., Kendall P.E., Webster J.R. and Matthews L.R. (2007). Effects of shelter and body condition on the behaviour and physiology of dairy cattle in winter. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 105(1), 1-13.
Veissier I., Palme R., Moons C.P., Ampe B., Sonck B., Andanson, S. and Tuyttens F.A. (2018). Heat stress in cows at pasture and benefit of shade in a temperate climate region. Int. J. Biometeorol. 62(4), 585-595.
Wildridge A.M., Thomson P.C., Garcia S.C., John A.J., Jongman E.C., Clark C.E. and Kerrisk K.L. (2018). The effect of temperature-humidity index on milk yield and milking frequency of dairy cows in pasture-based automatic milking systems. J. Dairy Sci. 101(5), 4479-4482.
World Wide Life. (2020) Overview. WebMD. Available at: https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/dairy.
Yadav B., Pandey V., Yadav S., Singh Y., Kumar V. and Sirohi R. (2016). Effect of misting and wallowing cooling systems on milk yield, blood and physiological variables during heat stress in lactating Murrah buffalo. J. Anim. Sci. Technol. 58(1), 1-10.
Zare-Tamami F., Hafezian H., Rahimi-Mianji G., Abdullahpour R. and Gholizadeh M. (2018). Effect of the temperature-humidity index and lactation stage on milk production traits and somatic cell score of dairy cows in Iran. Songklanakarin J. Sci. Technol. 40(2), 379-383.