Potential land use of Cantabria for grass-fed milk production

Aim of study: To analyse the territorial potential of Cantabria to produce grass-fed milk. Area of study: Cantabria (N Spain) is a territory associated with livestock, in particular cattle and grasslands. Over the last few decades, the livestock sector has been immersed in a process of structural adjustment, leading to a reduction in the number of farms, an increase in their size and the intensification of production. Moreover, the market is being increasingly supplied with milk labelled “grass fed”, due to growing consumer interest in healthier and more environmentally friendly products. Material and methods: To do this, 99 livestock farms were classified according to the percentage of fresh grass (FG) in the spring diet of the lactating cows (non-grass-fed: