SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE DAIRY PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN MOUNTAIN AREAS

b) ibidem, doctor. Driven by a favourable milk price and by a convenient cost of the energy concentrates, in the last 2 decades the dairy farming in the mountain regions has seen a continuous growth of intensive systems of production. The intensive alpine farm can be easily recognized by its high productive records obtained by milking cows of specialized dairy breeds fed high concentrate diets. However, this system of production has shown a negative impact on both the mountain environment and the welfare of the animal and today it is questionable also from the economic point of view. Top producing dairy cows do not cope well with a tough environment like the alpine one. To preserve this fragile ecosystem, instead, there is a need to develop a dairy farming system which must be sustainable for the animal and the environment and economically feasible. This study analyses the main technical features and guidelines of this new way of dairy farming in the Alpine region along with the additional options which can increase its profitability