Environmental News Network - Milk Production Declines Due to Heat Stress in Northern China

Details: By Chinese Academy of Sciences; 03.Apr

Northern China is a major dairy-producing region in the country. However, milk production is expected to drastically decline by 2050, with losses potentially up to 50% by 2070, because of heat stress in July, says a new study.

Michael Hammer

A team of scientists from the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (KIB/CAS) and Institute of Animal Science in China, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IAS/CAAS) carried out the study, which was recently published in the journal Climatic Change entitled "Will heat stress take its toll on milk production in China?"

The research evaluated the potential impacts of climate change on China's expanding dairy industries, extrapolating into the mid-21st century.

Dr. BU Dengpan, a scientist at IAS/CAAS and expert on animal nutrition, said about these impacts that "there are still some regional and seasonal imbalances in the supply of dairy cattle and raw milk in China. Because of summer heat stress from July to September each year, yield from dairy cows and production of raw milk are both generally reduced."

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Milk Production Declines Due to Heat Stress in Northern China