# The Carbon Footprint of Milk Production on a Farm
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Main Sources of GHG Emissions, Including Sources in Milk Production  
The total GHG emissions, excluding the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) categories worldwide, amounted to approximately 53.4 billion tonnes of CO\({}_{2}\) eq, of which as much as 72.8% was attributable to the energy sector (Figure 3) [36]. Industrial processes and product use, as well as waste management, accounted for 8.4% and 4.8% of GHG emissions, respectively. In contrast, global agriculture was responsible for 11.4% of GHG emissions, with significant variations observed on individual continents. The largest share of GHG emissions came from agriculture in South America (38.1%) and in Africa, Australia and New Zealand (26.3-29.9%), whereas the smallest share came from North America, Asia and Europe (6.4-8.7%). It should also be emphasised that in Africa and South America, the LULUCF sector accounted for a very large share of emissions (29.9-36.8%), which is primarily related to deforestation. In contrast, the lowest figure of this indicator (-9.8%) was noted in Europe. The negative value of GHG emissions implies carbon sequestration in ecosystems, which is primarily associated with effective forestry and agriculture management. The main sources of GHG emissions from the agricultural sector included animal production. Globally, enteric fermentation in livestock accounted for nearly 48% of GHG emissions, while manure management, manure left on pasture and manure applied to soil accounted for a combined 22% of GHG emissions from agriculture (Figure 4). The European Union observed a higher total share of manure management, manure left on pasture and manure applied to soil (30%) compared with the global average value, while the values for enteric fermentation were at a similar level (46%). In addition, rice cultivation and the use of synthetic fertilisers (a total of 20% of GHG) had a significant impact on the Earth's climate on a global scale, while at the EU level, the primary concern was the reliance on synthetic fertilisers (11.6%). In the EU, the proportion of GHG emissions attributed to agriculture varied between Member States. The lowest shares of GHG emissions from agriculture were noted in Malta, Slovakia and Cyprus (3.7-6.2%), while the highest shares were found in Denmark and Ireland (28.6-36.2% excluding LULUCF) (Figure 5). The sector with the largest share of GHG emissions was energy in each of the EU Member States. The lowest share was noted in Ireland (57.1%), and the highest shares were in Poland, Germany and Luxembourg (83.2-84.8% excluding LULUCF). It should be stressed that in 19 out of 27 EU countries, the LULUCF sector showed negative GHG emissions (positive carbon sequestration), which largely offset the GHG emissions from other sectors, including agriculture. In this respect, Sweden and Romania stand out, as in these countries, the value of this parameter amounted to \(-\)70.3 and \(-\)44.7%, respectively (a % value of total GHG emissions from other sectors). Figure 4: The share of source subsectors in the GHG emissions from agriculture worldwide (**a**) and in the European Union (**b**) in 2022 (% of total agricultural emissions); the authors’ own diagram prepared on the basis of research results in the publication [36]. Total GHG emissions from agriculture = 100%. Figure 3: The share of the main source sectors in the GHG emissions on particular continents and in the European Union (EU-27) in 2022; the authors’ own diagram prepared on the basis of research results in the publication [36]. LULUCF—land use, land use change and forestry, IPPU—industrial processes and product use. Total GHG emissions excluding LULUCF = 100%. E:S4.F5][ENDFIGURE]  
Eurostat data indicate that (dairy and beef) cattle farming accounted for approximately 50% of GHG emissions from agriculture in the EU, with enteric fermentation accounting for 42% and manure management for 8% (Figure 6) [8]. For other animals, these indicators were 7% and 9%, respectively.