• lca
• ovine milk
• tuscany

The purpose of this study was to assess the environmental impacts of the production chain of 1 liter of Fat Protein corrected milk (FPCM) using a sample of farms conferring at the Caseificio Sociale di Manciano and employing the scientific methodology of life cycle analysis or Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) according to ISO 14040-44:2006 standards.
The dairy was founded in 1961 from 21 local breeders, the aim was to value the production of ewe’s milk in the province of Grosseto.
The dairy has today a total number of around 150 breeders that produce ewe’s and cow’s milk and produces cheese and ricotta cheese, 75% of the cheese production is represented by the production of Pecorino Toscano PDO (in Italian DOP).
The representative sample found was 14 dairy farms.
These farms were subjected to a questionnaire in which: farm size, herd composition, characteristics of the animal ration and quantities, milk supplies, water used, electricity, and diesel – fuel consumption were required.
Data obtained from the questionnaire and processed according to the needs of individual farm have been included in the OpenLCA software.
The aim of this evaluation is to create and validate a specification to produce sheep’s milk of the Maremma that defines the requirements and production methods of the farms that confer to the dairy for the maintenance and improvement of environmental sustainability and animal welfare.
Additionally, a significant achievement of the project will be the acquisition of EPD certification, which is a product certification, affirming the overall environmental sustainability of the entire supply chain.