SusCatt Increasing productivity, resource efficiency and product quality to increase the economic competitiveness of forage and grazing based cattle production systems Håvard Steinshamn

Project description   SusCatt aims to evaluate a transition to high forage and pasture diets for European cattle on: Productivity, product quality, animal health and welfare, and economic performance Resource use efficiency and environmental impacts, both assessed experimentally, by modelling and life cycle analysis Consumers’ appreciation

Preliminary results Too soon for many results but suggestion that: Herb inclusion in grazing pastures tends to reduce enteric methane from dairy cows Dairybeef crossbreed steers produced heavier carcasses, more suited to the market, than pure dairy steers on forage/pasture

animal health and welfare resource-use efficiency Contribution to SusAn research objectives : Which is the contribution of your research to SusAn objectives   The main hypotheses in SusCatt are that transition to high forage and non-food diets will enhance: product quality animal health and welfare resource-use efficiency consumer acceptability

Contribution to SusAn research objectives : Which is the contribution of your research to SusAn objectives   SusAn: Consider opportunities for converting non- edible feedstuffs into valuable human edible protein sources and other animal products SusCatt reducing reliance on human edible food increasing reliance of forage crops recycling wastes and by-products from food, drink and energy industries as animal feeds

Susan: minimise emissions to soils and water and to the atmosphere Contribution to SusAn research objectives : Which is the contribution of your research to SusAn objectives   Susan: minimise emissions to soils and water and to the atmosphere SusCatt maximising output by greater integration of beef and dairy production exploiting legumes to reduce the environmental impact and enhancing the nutritive value of forage (and other) crops avoiding feeds with a high carbon foot print, due to land use change or transportation

Contribution to SusAn research objectives : Which is the contribution of your research to SusAn objectives   Susan: produce animal products which are of high quality and represent good value for money for consumers and the processing industry SusCatt producing milk and beef to enhance rather than challenge our health

Economy Environment Society Research Impact on the 3 pillars of sustainability: Does the project adequately address the different pillars? How do the different pillars contribute to the aim of your project?   Economy We calculate the profitability of the cattle systems we study and compare with benchmark for the region Environment We run LCA the cattle systems we study and compare with benchmark for region Society Assess the nutritional quality of milk and meat from our alternative production systems and identify consumers knowledge and acceptance

Research Impact on the 3 pillars of sustainability: How relevant are the links made between the pillars?   Economic and environmental assessments are integrated in some our surveys

Exchange of knowledge and competence Transnational collaboration: What is the added value of transnational collaboration?   Similar challenges, but different solutions appropriate for our 6 countries Exchange of knowledge and competence Analysis of samples (meat and milk) in the same laboratory Data from all partners pooled for economic and environmental assessment in a common approach

Transnational collaboration: Is the transnational collaboration beneficial for broad implementation of the results?   Dissemination Challenges tend to be system based rather than specific to each country – solution from some partners are highly relevant to farms in other countries (e.g. solutions relating to Italian intensive dairying are appropriate throughout Europe )

Messages targeting consumers and policy makers, as well as producers Multi actor approach: Is there a strategy to involve relevant stakeholders?   Data collection in the participatory research and surveys are done in co-operation with farmers and farmers association Dissemination – Workshops and survey for identifying methods for wider dissemination Messages targeting consumers and policy makers, as well as producers

Work is likely to extended to include cheese making in UK Multi actor approach: Are research outcomes validated under practical conditions along the whole value added chain?   Some of our outcomes are based on farm practices and in some cases, producers are milk or meat selling directly to consumers Work is likely to extended to include cheese making in UK

Focus is on animal and farm level Cross-scale approach: In how far does it make sense in the particular research project to target the different levels? How relevant are the interactions seen between the levels?   Focus is on animal and farm level Modelling and analysis on regional and national level in the our system analysis work package Careful with extrapolation

Dissemination and communication strategy: Is there strategy for exploiting the potential of the projects results?   Stakeholder surveys

We aim to target dissemination to multiple audiences Dissemination and communication strategy: Do you disseminate the projects results via Open Data?   We aim to target dissemination to multiple audiences Academic papers and conference presentations Technical notes aimed at the farming industry Policy and practice notes Consumer information relating to food quality and health All will be open access and actively distributed to appropriate recipients