A review of megatrends in the global dairy sector: what are the socioecological implications?

Bojovic, M; McGregor, A

A review of megatrends in the global dairy sector: what are the socioecological implications?

Bojovic, M

McGregor, A

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Publisher:: SPRINGER
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Agriculture and Human Values, 2023, 40, (1), pp. 373-394
Issue Date:: 2023-03-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Bojovic, M https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9470-9058
dc.contributor.author	McGregor, A
dc.date.accessioned	2024-07-26T00:59:57Z
dc.date.available	2024-07-26T00:59:57Z
dc.date.issued	2023-03-01
dc.identifier.citation	Agriculture and Human Values, 2023, 40, (1), pp. 373-394
dc.identifier.issn	0889-048X
dc.identifier.issn	1572-8366
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/179850
dc.description.abstract	The global dairy industry is undergoing a period of expansion and consolidation, alongside heightened critique and competition from non-dairy alternatives. This review identifies four key megatrends within the global dairy sector, focusing in on the socioecological challenges associated with each. The megatrends were identified through a literature review of recent publications within the dairy science and social science fields, as well as a review of grey literature from intergovernmental and institutional reports. Key findings include geographical range shifts in production and consumption of dairy milk from the Global North to the Global South; intensification of production agendas that strive for mechanisation, standardisation, and corporatisation of the sector; increasing awareness of the ecological impacts of intensive dairying; and finally, disruptions to the sector driven by plant-based milks and, potentially, synthetic milks. We identify under-researched socioecological challenges associated with each of these trends. Although dairy milk may be homogenous in its final form, the sector remains heterogenous in its impacts across spaces, places, and scales, as increasingly intensive dairying systems fundamentally reshape human–cattle relations. The combined impacts of these trends bring into question the mythologies of milk and the assumed desirability of ever-expanding dairy industries. Our review finds that the future of dairy is not clear nor uncontroversial and that more attention needs to be directed to maximising and broadening the social benefits of the dairy and dairy alternatives, minimising the human and non-human costs, and limiting contributions to global climate change.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	SPRINGER
dc.relation.ispartof	Agriculture and Human Values
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1007/s10460-022-10338-x
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1402 Applied Economics, 1608 Sociology
dc.subject.classification	Geography
dc.subject.classification	4404 Development studies
dc.subject.classification	4406 Human geography
dc.title	A review of megatrends in the global dairy sector: what are the socioecological implications?
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	40
utslib.for	1402 Applied Economics
utslib.for	1608 Sociology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2024-07-26T00:59:55Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	40
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

The global dairy industry is undergoing a period of expansion and consolidation, alongside heightened critique and competition from non-dairy alternatives. This review identifies four key megatrends within the global dairy sector, focusing in on the socioecological challenges associated with each. The megatrends were identified through a literature review of recent publications within the dairy science and social science fields, as well as a review of grey literature from intergovernmental and institutional reports. Key findings include geographical range shifts in production and consumption of dairy milk from the Global North to the Global South; intensification of production agendas that strive for mechanisation, standardisation, and corporatisation of the sector; increasing awareness of the ecological impacts of intensive dairying; and finally, disruptions to the sector driven by plant-based milks and, potentially, synthetic milks. We identify under-researched socioecological challenges associated with each of these trends. Although dairy milk may be homogenous in its final form, the sector remains heterogenous in its impacts across spaces, places, and scales, as increasingly intensive dairying systems fundamentally reshape human–cattle relations. The combined impacts of these trends bring into question the mythologies of milk and the assumed desirability of ever-expanding dairy industries. Our review finds that the future of dairy is not clear nor uncontroversial and that more attention needs to be directed to maximising and broadening the social benefits of the dairy and dairy alternatives, minimising the human and non-human costs, and limiting contributions to global climate change.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/179850