Maintaining grazing

The Netherlands faces a considerable challenge: nitrogen emissions must be reduced. Surprisingly, one of the solutions can be found in the meadow. By allowing dairy cattle to graze outdoors for longer hours, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) and the sector are taking an important step towards a cleaner and more sustainable future.

More and more dairy farms are switching to automatic milking systems (AMS), and this growth is likely to continue in the coming years. This is good for efficiency, but it also carries a risk. The more robots there are, the greater the chance that grazing will decline. And that is a shame, because grazing is a proven measure with great potential for reducing ammonia emissions.