Should dairy farming be changed to crop-based farming to improve the environment?

Both dairy and crop-based farming practices use natural resources during production and have impacts on the environment. Research has suggested that livestock farming practices typically use more water, energy and land compared to crop based systems. Dairy farming results in higher methane emissions due to the natural digestion process of ruminant animals; whereas crop-based farming normally includes soil damage and loss.

It is worth noting that different agricultural systems will no doubt have different environmental impacts but it makes sense to employ the farming system that is most sustainable within the climate of the region. For example, dairy farming is best suited to regions that provide a grass-based feeding system (such as Ireland) and crop-based farming is best suited to regions that optimise growing conditions. In addition, only a portion of the land in Ireland would be suitable for crop-based farming.

For this reason, proposals to change dairy to crop-based farming are over simplistic and in reality the theoretical improvements to the environment may not be as viable when regional logistics are considered.