Raw Milk of Cattle

1. Scope and Applicability

This PCR applies to raw milk produced by domesticated cattle and delivered from the dairy farm as chilled, unprocessed milk. It supports foreground data packages representing a full, representative dairy-farm operating period up to the farm gate. The model covers the whole reporting herd, feed and bedding supply, directly managed feed production when applicable, enteric fermentation, manure management, milking, cooling, and on-farm storage.

The PCR excludes raw milk of buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, and other animals; pasteurized, sterilized, homogenized, separated, standardized, concentrated, dried, fermented, flavoured, or otherwise processed milk; transport after the farm gate; dairy manufacturing; packaging; distribution; retail; use; and end of life. A concrete data package shall state the cattle production system, geography, reporting period, herd structure, milk composition, farm-gate condition, and whether feed production and input transport are foreground or linked upstream.

2. Product Category Identity

Field	Value
canonical_pcr_id	pcr.agriculture-forestry-and-fishery-products.live-animals-and-animal-products-excluding-meat.raw-milk-of-cattle
classification_refs	CPC 3.0: 02211 Raw milk of cattle (exact)
covered_products	Raw whole milk from cattle, including saleable chilled farm milk before heat treatment or dairy processing
excluded_products	Raw milk from non-cattle species; separated, standardized, pasteurized, sterilized, homogenized, concentrated, dried, fermented, flavoured, or otherwise processed milk; milk consumed entirely within the farm and not delivered as product
representative_product	Chilled raw whole cattle milk ready to leave on-farm storage
production_route	Dairy herd management, feed supply, manure management, milking, cooling, and on-farm storage to the farm gate
market_state	Unprocessed liquid raw milk at the farm gate, normally chilled and declared by measured fat and true-protein content

3. Reference Flow

Field	Value
What	Provision of raw cattle milk ready to leave the dairy farm
How much	1 kg fat-and-protein-corrected milk (FPCM), corrected to 4.0% fat and 3.3% true protein
How well	Raw whole cattle milk meeting the declared farm-gate specification, with measured physical mass, fat content, true-protein content, temperature, and saleable status
How long or cycle	One representative reporting year or another declared period covering seasonal variation and a stable herd production cycle
reference_flow_link	The physical raw-milk output is converted to FPCM with calc_fpcm; all inventory values are normalized to 1 kg FPCM delivered at the farm gate

Field	Value
Reference amount	1 kg FPCM
Reference product flow	Raw milk of cattle aa8aebbb-724a-417b-8372-2dccd499ce71
Reference flow property	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66
Reference unit group	Units of mass 93a60a57-a4c8-11da-a746-0800200c9a66
Reference unit	kg
Required qualifiers	cattle species; raw and unprocessed state; farm-gate geography; production system; reporting period; farm-gate temperature; physical milk mass; fat percentage; true-protein percentage; calculated FPCM mass; saleable milk status

When constructing a foreground data package, the items listed in Required qualifiers must be declared in dataset metadata, process notes, reference-flow comments, product descriptions, or equivalent fields. Missing required qualifiers make the reference-flow definition incomplete.

4. Measurement and Unit Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Required property	Required unit	Rule
reference_mass	Reference raw-milk flow and FPCM result	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66	kg	Record physical raw-milk mass in kg and normalize to 1 kg FPCM; volume-only records require measured density for the represented milk and temperature.
milk_composition	Milk fat and true protein	Mass fraction	% by mass	Use representative measured fat and true-protein percentages for the same milk mass and period; do not substitute crude protein without a disclosed, justified conversion.
dry_matter_basis	Feed intake and bedding	Mass	kg dry matter	Preserve as-fed mass and dry-matter fraction in raw records, then calculate kg dry matter; disclose any feed quantity that cannot be converted.
liveweight_basis	Animals leaving the farm	Mass	kg live weight	Use live weight at farm exit or a documented conversion; carcass mass shall not be inserted as live weight without the conversion basis.
gas_mass_basis	Direct gaseous emissions	Mass	kg substance	Record each emitted substance separately before impact characterization; do not store CO2-equivalent values as elementary-flow masses.

5. System Boundary

rule_id	Applies to	Rule	source_ids
boundary_farm_gate	Product system to farm gate	Include dairy herd maintenance and replacements, feed and bedding supply, enteric fermentation, manure collection/storage/treatment, directly managed feed production, input energy and water, milking, cleaning, cooling, refrigerant losses, and on-farm raw-milk storage up to milk ready to leave the farm.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022; fao-leap-large-ruminants-2016
boundary_whole_herd	Reporting herd	Represent lactating and dry cows, replacement animals, calves, culls, mortality, herd inventory change, and animal movements supporting reported milk output; do not model only lactating cows when other herd classes share burdens.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022; fao-leap-large-ruminants-2016
boundary_upstream_inputs	Purchased inputs	Link purchased feed, bedding, replacement animals, fuels, electricity, fertilizers, crop-protection products, cleaning agents, refrigerants, and other material inputs to geographically and technologically appropriate upstream datasets.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022; fao-leap-large-ruminants-2016
boundary_feed_land	Feed production and land	Include directly managed feed-crop and pasture inputs, yields, soil emissions, irrigation, and relevant land-use-change treatment; for externally supplied feed, retain origin and composition records and link upstream burdens without duplicating them on farm.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022; fao-leap-animal-feed-2016
boundary_direct_emissions	Cattle, manure, and managed soils	Calculate enteric CH4, manure-management CH4 and N2O, and relevant managed-soil emissions with methods and factors appropriate to the declared region, animal category, productivity, diet, climate, and manure system; preserve activity data and factor sources.	ipcc-2019-livestock-manure; fao-leap-nutrient-flows-2018
boundary_exclusions	Downstream life-cycle stages	Exclude transport after the farm gate, dairy processing, packaging, distribution, retail, consumption, and end of life; disclose any study-specific extension separately from the PCR result.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022

Boundary Abstraction

Field	Value
declared_starting_condition	A dairy production system with the reporting herd, managed land, and production assets in service at the opening of the reporting period; herd replacement burdens and inventory changes are represented through period records and annualized calculations.
starting_condition_role	Establishes a reproducible farm-accounting condition for a biologically continuous dairy system without treating the opening herd as burden-free.
product_classification_scope	Raw cattle milk covered by CPC 3.0 code 02211; other animal milk and processed dairy products are outside the category.
recursive_input_rule	Raw cattle milk produced and used internally, including milk fed to calves, is recorded as internal use and deducted from saleable farm-gate output rather than linked as an upstream raw-milk dataset. Externally purchased raw cattle milk is a separate product input with an upstream dataset and cannot be netted against output.
upstream_dataset_requirement	Every purchased feed, animal, energy carrier, material, and externally provided service crossing the boundary requires a representative upstream dataset or an explicit documented data gap; supplier-specific data are preferred when material.
disclosure	Declare farm geography, production system, reporting period, herd classes and inventory change, milk sold and internal use, milk composition, feed origins, manure systems, land management, allocation factors, excluded processes, data gaps, and any non-steady operational change.

6. Process Inventory Structure

Process Map

process_id	process_name	inclusion	inclusion_condition	role	quantitative_reference
herd_and_feed_management	Herd, feeding, housing, and animal management	required	Always	Foreground herd operation and enteric-emission basis	Per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
manure_management	Manure collection, storage, treatment, and export	required	Always	Foreground manure route and direct-emission basis	Per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
on_farm_feed_production	Directly managed feed-crop and pasture production	conditional	Include when feed crops or pasture are managed within the reporting farm boundary; otherwise link feed upstream	Foreground feed and managed-soil inventory	Per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
milking_cooling_storage	Milking, cleaning, cooling, and on-farm storage	required	Always	Foreground delivery of saleable raw milk	Per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate

Process: Herd, feeding, housing, and animal management (herd_and_feed_management)

Inputs

Product flows

Dairy cattle feed ration (feed_ration)

Record forage, concentrate, by-product feed, mineral, and additive quantities consumed by the represented herd, with origin, animal class, as-fed mass, and dry-matter fraction.

• Selected flow: Route-specific cattle feed materials
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg dry matter
• Amount rule: Sum feed dry matter consumed by all represented herd classes and normalize by farm-gate FPCM.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_feed_records
• Range: Provisional feed-intake QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 10
  • Unit: kg dry matter/kg FPCM
  • Basis: total herd feed dry matter per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Herd water and housing energy (herd_resources)

Record water, electricity, and fuels for drinking, ventilation, lighting, feeding equipment, pumping, and other herd operations; keep distinct supplied flows in the concrete data package.

• Selected flow: Route-specific water and energy carriers
• Flow property / unit: Mass or energy / kg water, kWh, or MJ
• Amount rule: Metered use or invoice-reconciled site use assigned by documented physical drivers.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_herd_resource_records
• Range: Provisional combined resource QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 100
  • Unit: kg water-equivalent screening quantity/kg FPCM
  • Basis: broad screen only; concrete water and energy flows remain separate
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Replacement cattle entering the herd (replacement_cattle)

Record purchased or transferred replacement cattle separately from births within the represented herd.

• Selected flow: Live dairy cattle, route-specific
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg live weight
• Amount rule: Calculate live weight entering from animal movement and weight records.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_herd_records

Waste flows

Elementary flows

Outputs

Product flows

Live cattle leaving the dairy farm (live_cattle_sales)

Record calves, culled cows, heifers, and other live cattle leaving the farm by animal class and live weight.

• Selected flow: Live cattle, route-specific
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg live weight
• Amount rule: Calculate total live weight leaving from animal movement and weight records.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_herd_records

Manure transferred to manure management (manure_internal)

Record manure transferred internally to each storage or treatment route, including bedding and dilution water.

• Selected flow: Cattle manure, internal transfer
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Calculate by route from excretion, bedding, and collected dilution-water records.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_manure_records
• Range: Provisional internal-manure mass-balance QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 100
  • Unit: kg/kg FPCM
  • Basis: manure transferred internally per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Waste flows

Animal mortalities requiring treatment (animal_mortalities)

Record animals that die within the farm boundary by class, mass, and treatment route.

• Selected flow: Animal mortality waste, route-specific
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Sum recorded mortality mass and normalize by FPCM.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_herd_records
• Range: Mortality mass-balance QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 1
  • Unit: kg/kg FPCM
  • Basis: mortality mass per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Elementary flows

Enteric methane to air (enteric_methane)

Calculate CH4 from enteric fermentation for every represented cattle class using consistent activity, productivity, diet, and region-specific method parameters.

• Selected flow: Methane to air
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg CH4
• Amount rule: Apply calc_enteric_ch4 and normalize the period result by farm-gate FPCM.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_herd_records
• Sources: ipcc-2019-livestock-manure
• Range: Provisional enteric-CH4 QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 1
  • Unit: kg CH4/kg FPCM
  • Basis: enteric methane per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Process: Manure collection, storage, treatment, and export (manure_management)

Inputs

Product flows

Manure received from the represented herd (manure_received)

Keep manure quantity, volatile solids, nitrogen, bedding, dilution, storage, treatment, and destination records consistent with the internal herd output.

• Selected flow: Cattle manure, internal transfer
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Equal manure_internal after route disaggregation; internal transfers cancel in the aggregated system.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_manure_records

Waste flows

Elementary flows

Outputs

Product flows

Exported manure or recovered product (exported_manure)

Record manure, digestate, compost, separated solids, recovered nutrients, or energy products leaving the farm, with classification as residue, co-product, or waste.

• Selected flow: Route-specific manure or recovered product
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Measured dispatch quantity by product and destination.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_manure_records
• Range: Provisional exported-manure QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 100
  • Unit: kg/kg FPCM
  • Basis: exported manure or recovered product per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Waste flows

Manure sent to waste treatment or disposal (manure_waste)

Record manure classified and managed as waste, its destination, and treatment burdens retained by the dairy system.

• Selected flow: Route-specific manure waste
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Measured or mass-balanced waste quantity by destination.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_manure_records
• Range: Manure-route mass-balance QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 100
  • Unit: kg/kg FPCM
  • Basis: manure waste per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Elementary flows

Methane from manure management to air (manure_methane)

Calculate manure CH4 by animal class, volatile solids, management system, climate, and methane conversion.

• Selected flow: Methane to air
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg CH4
• Amount rule: Apply calc_manure_ch4 and normalize by farm-gate FPCM.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_manure_records
• Sources: ipcc-2019-livestock-manure
• Range: Provisional manure-CH4 QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 1
  • Unit: kg CH4/kg FPCM
  • Basis: manure methane per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Nitrous oxide from manure management to air (manure_nitrous_oxide)

Calculate direct and applicable indirect N2O without double counting field-application emissions.

• Selected flow: Nitrous oxide to air
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg N2O
• Amount rule: Apply calc_manure_n2o and normalize by farm-gate FPCM.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_manure_records
• Sources: ipcc-2019-livestock-manure
• Range: Provisional manure-N2O QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 0.2
  • Unit: kg N2O/kg FPCM
  • Basis: manure nitrous oxide per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Ammonia losses from manure management to air (manure_ammonia)

Record or calculate NH3 consistently with the manure nitrogen balance and indirect N2O calculation.

• Selected flow: Ammonia to air
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg NH3
• Amount rule: Apply the declared regional method to collected manure nitrogen and management-system records.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_manure_records
• Sources: fao-leap-nutrient-flows-2018
• Range: Provisional ammonia QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 1
  • Unit: kg NH3/kg FPCM
  • Basis: ammonia loss per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Process: Directly managed feed-crop and pasture production (on_farm_feed_production)

Inputs

Product flows

Feed-crop production inputs (feed_crop_inputs)

Record seed, fertilizers and nutrient content, manure applied, crop-protection products, fuel, electricity, irrigation water, and contracted field operations separately in the concrete package.

• Selected flow: Route-specific feed-crop inputs
• Flow property / unit: Mass or energy / kg, kg nutrient, MJ, kWh, or kg water
• Amount rule: Field-operation and purchase records reconciled to managed area and feed output.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_on_farm_feed_records
• Range: Provisional managed-feed input QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 10000
  • Unit: kg water-equivalent screening quantity/kg FPCM
  • Basis: broad screen only; concrete material, nutrient, water, and energy flows remain separate
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Waste flows

Elementary flows

Outputs

Product flows

Feed dry matter supplied to the herd (on_farm_feed_output)

Record usable crop, pasture, forage, or conserved-feed dry matter transferred to herd feeding.

• Selected flow: Crop- or forage-specific cattle feed
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg dry matter
• Amount rule: Harvested or grazed dry matter available after measured field and storage losses.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_on_farm_feed_records
• Range: Provisional on-farm feed-output QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 10
  • Unit: kg dry matter/kg FPCM
  • Basis: usable on-farm feed dry matter per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Waste flows

Elementary flows

Nitrogen losses from managed feed land (feed_land_nitrogen_losses)

Calculate N2O to air and record or calculate NH3 to air and nitrate to water as separate elementary flows in the concrete package, consistently with nitrogen inputs, crop uptake, grazing, and manure routing.

• Selected flow: Substance- and compartment-specific nitrogen emission
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg substance
• Amount rule: Apply the declared IPCC and nutrient-flow methods without double counting manure-storage emissions.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_on_farm_feed_records
• Sources: ipcc-2019-livestock-manure; fao-leap-nutrient-flows-2018
• Range: Provisional managed-land nitrogen-loss QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 1
  • Unit: kg substance/kg FPCM
  • Basis: each separately reported nitrogen-loss substance per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Process: Milking, cleaning, cooling, and on-farm storage (milking_cooling_storage)

Inputs

Product flows

Milking and cooling resources (milking_resources)

Record electricity, fuel, water, detergents, disinfectants, and refrigerant make-up separately. Directly assign milking, cooling, and milk-storage resources to milk.

• Selected flow: Route-specific electricity, water, cleaning agent, and refrigerant
• Flow property / unit: Mass or energy / kg, kWh, or MJ
• Amount rule: Sub-meter, dosing, service, and invoice records reconciled to site totals.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_milking_records
• Range: Provisional milking-resource QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 100
  • Unit: kg water-equivalent screening quantity/kg FPCM
  • Basis: broad screen only; concrete water, material, energy, and refrigerant flows remain separate
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Waste flows

Elementary flows

Outputs

Product flows

Raw cattle milk at the farm gate (raw_cattle_milk)

The final product is saleable raw whole cattle milk ready to leave on-farm storage. Physical mass and measured composition are retained alongside the FPCM-normalized result.

• Selected flow: Raw milk of cattle aa8aebbb-724a-417b-8372-2dccd499ce71
• Flow property / unit: Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66 / kg
• Amount rule: Calculate the physical raw-milk mass corresponding to 1 kg FPCM with calc_fpcm.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Product-specific (product_specific)
• Normalization basis: 1 kg FPCM at the farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_milk_output_records
• Sources: idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022
• Range: Provisional physical-milk conversion QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0.5
  • Upper: 2
  • Unit: kg raw milk/kg FPCM
  • Basis: physical raw-milk mass corresponding to 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Waste flows

Milking wastewater and non-saleable milk (milking_wastes)

Record wastewater by treatment route and rejected or discarded milk separately from milk fed internally to animals.

• Selected flow: Route-specific wastewater or raw-milk waste
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Metered, water-balanced, or disposition-record quantity by destination.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_milk_output_records
• Range: Milk and water mass-balance QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 100
  • Unit: kg/kg FPCM
  • Basis: each separately reported waste flow per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Elementary flows

Refrigerant leakage to air (refrigerant_leakage)

Record each refrigerant species released from milk-cooling equipment; do not replace mass emissions with CO2-equivalent values.

• Selected flow: Refrigerant emission to air, species-specific
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Equipment inventory balance or service-record loss assigned to milk cooling.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg FPCM at farm gate
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_milking_records
• Range: Provisional refrigerant-loss QA screen
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 0.1
  • Unit: kg refrigerant/kg FPCM
  • Basis: refrigerant loss per 1 kg FPCM
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

7. Allocation and Co-product Handling

rule_id	Applies to	Rule	source_ids
allocation_subdivision_first	Separable farm activities and outputs	Subdivide directly attributable activities before allocation. Assign milking, milk cooling, and milk-storage burdens entirely to milk; separately accounted animal-rearing or exported crop/energy activities do not enter the shared dairy allocation pool.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022
allocation_milk_live_animals	Shared dairy-herd burdens between milk and live cattle	Apply the IDF 2022 biophysical net-energy method: AF_milk = (NE_L × M_FPCM) / ((NE_L × M_FPCM) + Σ(NE_G,i × M_liveweight,i)); use consistent period FPCM and live-weight sales, class-specific net energy for growth when available, and disclose every factor. The remaining fraction is assigned to live animals.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022
allocation_manure	Manure leaving the farm	Classify manure explicitly. Treat manure with essentially no value at the boundary as a residue using cut-off; if it is a co-product, use disclosed economic allocation; if it is waste, assign its treatment burdens to the dairy system without an avoided-product credit.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022; fao-leap-large-ruminants-2016
allocation_internal_flows	Internal milk, feed, and manure transfers	Cancel internal product transfers only after preserving their quantities and characteristics. Internal raw milk fed to calves reduces saleable output; internally produced feed and manure shall not receive duplicated upstream burdens.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022; fao-leap-large-ruminants-2016

8. Foreground Data Collection, Calculation, and Quality Rules

Data Collection Protocols

protocol_id	process_id	flow_role	record_type	raw_fields	collection_method	unit	frequency	temporal_coverage	site_scope	aggregation_rule	quality_evidence
cp_herd_records	herd_and_feed_management	Herd structure, movements, live weight, mortality, and enteric parameters	Animal register and herd-performance records	animal_class; head_count; entry_date; exit_date; exit_reason; live_weight; body_weight; milk_yield; feed_digestibility; gross_energy_intake	Farm register, calibrated scales or documented weight estimation, and herd-system export	head; kg live weight; kg milk; MJ/head/day	Continuous events, monthly summary	At least one representative 12-month period; longer averaging when unstable	All cattle supporting reported milk	Reconcile opening stock + births + purchases - sales - transfers - deaths = closing stock; aggregate animal-days	Register reconciliation, scale calibration or method, missing-event log, and system export
cp_feed_records	herd_and_feed_management	Feed ration and bedding	Purchase, mixing, inventory, grazing, and laboratory records	material_id; origin; animal_class; as_fed_mass; dry_matter_fraction; opening_stock; closing_stock; feed_waste; bedding_mass	Weighbridge, invoices, mixer logs, feed analyses, grazing estimate, and stock reconciliation	kg as fed; kg dry matter; % dry matter	Batch or daily, monthly summary	Same representative period as milk and herd	All feed and bedding used by represented herd	Inputs + opening stock - closing stock - losses; convert to dry matter and normalize by FPCM	Calibration, invoices, laboratory certificates, and reconciliation difference
cp_herd_resource_records	herd_and_feed_management	Herd water and housing energy	Meter, invoice, and equipment-operation records	meter_id; carrier; opening_reading; closing_reading; invoice_quantity; equipment_hours; allocation_driver	Sub-meter preferred; otherwise site reconciliation with physical allocation	kg water; kWh; MJ; kg or L fuel	Monthly	Same representative period as milk	Herd housing and service areas, excluding separately metered milking	Reconcile meters and invoices; preserve distinct carriers	Meter calibration, invoices, conversion factors, and allocation worksheet
cp_manure_records	manure_management	Manure quantity, composition, route, treatment, export, and emissions	Manure-management and nutrient-balance records	animal_class; volatile_solids; nitrogen_excretion; bedding; dilution_water; management_system; climate; storage_duration; treatment; exported_mass; destination	Records, engineering balance, manure analysis, storage measurement, and method calculation	kg manure; kg volatile solids; kg N; days; kg product	Event or batch, monthly summary	Same period as herd and milk	Every manure route for all represented herd classes	Reconcile generated, stored, treated, applied, exported, and disposed manure; calculate by route	Sampling, laboratory results, storage dimensions, receipts, balance closure, and factor provenance
cp_on_farm_feed_records	on_farm_feed_production	Managed crop and pasture inputs, outputs, land, and nutrient losses	Field-operation, harvest, grazing, and land records	field_id; crop_or_pasture; area; seed; fertilizer; nutrient_content; manure_applied; crop_protection; fuel; electricity; irrigation; yield; dry_matter; residue; grazing_days; previous_land_use	Field logs, invoices, calibrated application records, yield measurement, grazing records, and spatial evidence	ha; kg; kg nutrient; MJ; kWh; kg water; kg dry matter	Each operation and harvest	Crop years supplying feed to milk period	All directly managed feed land and included contracted operations	Allocate field inputs to harvested or grazed dry matter; retain crop, field, and year	Completeness, calibration, invoices, dry-matter tests, yield reconciliation, and land evidence
cp_milking_records	milking_cooling_storage	Milking, cleaning, cooling, storage, water, energy, chemicals, and refrigerant	Meter, dosing, service, and cleaning-cycle records	electricity; fuel; water; cleaning_agent; dose; cleaning_cycles; refrigerant_type; refrigerant_added; tank_temperature	Sub-meter, invoice, dosing logs, controller, service records, and water balance	kWh; MJ; kg water; kg chemical; kg refrigerant; °C	Daily or batch, monthly reconciliation	Same period as milk output	All parlours, milk rooms, cooling, and farm storage	Directly assign measured milking/cooling loads to milk and reconcile with site totals	Calibration, invoices, dosing checks, service certificates, temperature logs, and balance closure
cp_milk_output_records	milking_cooling_storage	Physical milk, composition, internal use, rejected milk, wastewater, and saleable output	Tank, processor receipt, laboratory, disposition, and water-balance records	milk_mass; milk_volume; density; fat_percent; true_protein_percent; temperature; saleable_mass; calf_feed_mass; rejected_mass; wastewater; destination; timestamp	Calibrated tank or weigh record linked to laboratory composition, processor receipt, and water balance	kg; L; kg/L; % by mass; °C	Each pickup or batch; representative composition testing	Same period as herd and resource records, including seasonality	All produced milk, every disposition, and related wastewater	Reconcile produced = saleable + internal use + rejected + inventory change; calculate FPCM by batch or period	Tank calibration, laboratory QA, receipts, density method, and mass-balance closure

Calculation Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Formula or rule	Inputs	Output	source_ids
calc_fpcm	Physical raw cattle milk	FPCM (kg) = milk mass (kg) × [0.1226 × fat% + 0.0776 × true protein% + 0.2534]; apply composition values as percentages, calculate at the most representative batch or period resolution, and sum before normalization.	milk_mass; fat_percent; true_protein_percent	kg FPCM	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022
calc_saleable_milk_balance	Milk dispositions	total physical milk produced = saleable farm-gate milk + internal milk use + rejected milk + closing inventory - opening inventory; investigate unexplained imbalance and normalize only saleable output.	total_milk; saleable_milk; internal_use; rejected_milk; opening_inventory; closing_inventory	reconciled kg physical milk and kg FPCM	mass-balance-identity; idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022
calc_milk_allocation	Shared dairy-herd burdens	AF_milk = (NE_L × M_FPCM) / ((NE_L × M_FPCM) + Σ(NE_G,i × M_liveweight,i)); AF_live_animals = 1 - AF_milk. Use IDF class-specific net-energy values or justified values and directly assign separable activities first.	M_FPCM; animal_class; M_liveweight_i; NE_L; NE_G_i; directly_attributable_burdens	disclosed allocation factors and allocated shared inventory	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022
calc_enteric_ch4	All represented cattle classes	Use the appropriate IPCC 2019 Refinement tier. Prefer Tier 2 when gross-energy intake, methane conversion, animal class, productivity, and diet data are available; otherwise use the most representative permitted factor and disclose the limitation.	animal_days; animal_class; gross_energy_intake or emission_factor; methane_conversion_factor; productivity; diet	kg CH4 from enteric fermentation	ipcc-2019-livestock-manure
calc_manure_ch4	Each manure route	Calculate manure CH4 from animal population, volatile-solids excretion, maximum methane-producing capacity, management-system fraction, methane conversion, and applicable recovery or oxidation terms.	animal_days; volatile_solids; manure_system_fraction; B0; MCF; recovery; oxidation	kg CH4 from manure management	ipcc-2019-livestock-manure
calc_manure_n2o	Each manure route	Calculate direct and indirect N2O from nitrogen excretion and management-system fractions; keep volatilized and leached nitrogen consistent with NH3, nitrate, and managed-soil calculations.	nitrogen_excretion; manure_system_fraction; direct_EF; volatilization_fraction; leaching_fraction; indirect_EF	kg N2O from manure management	ipcc-2019-livestock-manure; fao-leap-nutrient-flows-2018
calc_inventory_normalization	All inventory rows	Divide period quantities by saleable farm-gate FPCM after internal-flow cancellation and allocation; preserve totals, period, and allocation factor for audit.	reporting_period_amount; saleable_FPCM; internal_flow_flag; allocation_factor	inventory amount per 1 kg FPCM	mass-balance-identity; idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022

Data Quality Requirements

requirement_id	Applies to	Requirement	Evidence
dq_identity	Reference product and classification	Confirm cattle species, raw/unprocessed state, CPC 02211 scope, reference-flow UUID, farm-gate location, and saleable status.	Product specification, milk receipt, classification record, and TianGong identity confirmation
dq_temporal	All foreground records	Use a common representative period of at least 12 months unless a shorter period demonstrably covers seasonality; disclose herd expansion, contraction, disruption, drought, or other non-steady conditions.	Dated herd, milk, feed, resource, field, and manure records plus representativeness statement
dq_completeness	Farm balances	Reconcile milk dispositions, herd movements, feed inventory, water and energy totals, manure routes, and nitrogen flows; quantify missing coverage and omit no material herd class or manure route silently.	Reconciliation worksheets, closure differences, missing-data log, and corrective actions
dq_measurement	Metered, weighed, and laboratory data	Retain equipment identity, calibration or verification, sampling method, laboratory method, density conversion, and estimation hierarchy.	Calibration certificates, laboratory QA, sampling records, invoices, and estimation rationale
dq_geography_technology	Upstream datasets and emission methods	Match geography, production system, feed origin, electricity, fuel, climate, manure system, and animal productivity; disclose proxies.	Dataset metadata, supplier information, factor provenance, and proxy justification
dq_consistency	Allocation and direct-emission calculations	Use one population and period across FPCM, live-weight outputs, enteric emissions, manure emissions, and allocation; keep directly assigned burdens outside the shared allocation pool.	Calculation workbook, factor version, source references, and independent formula check

9. Validation Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Rule	source_ids
validate_identity_scope	Product identity	Fail when the reference product is not cattle milk, is processed beyond raw on-farm cooling/storage, lacks the declared farm gate, or does not use the confirmed reference-flow identity.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022
validate_reference_flow	Functional unit and reference flow	Fail when physical milk mass, fat percentage, true-protein percentage, FPCM calculation, saleable status, or normalization to exactly 1 kg FPCM is missing or inconsistent.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022
validate_period_herd	Temporal and herd coverage	Fail when herd classes, animal movements, milk output, feed, manure, and resource records do not share a representative period or opening and closing herd inventories cannot be reconciled.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022; fao-leap-large-ruminants-2016
validate_boundary	Boundary completeness	Fail when material feed supply, directly managed feed production, enteric emissions, manure routes, managed-soil emissions, milking, cooling, water, energy, or milk losses are omitted without an applicability reason and data-gap disclosure.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022; fao-leap-large-ruminants-2016
validate_emissions	Direct emissions	Fail when enteric or manure methods omit region, cattle category, productivity, diet or feed-energy basis, manure system, climate, factor source, or calculation tier needed by the method.	ipcc-2019-livestock-manure
validate_allocation	Co-products and residues	Fail when directly attributable activities are allocated, live-animal outputs are omitted, IDF net-energy allocation inputs or factors are missing, manure classification is undeclared, or fractions do not sum to one within tolerance.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022; fao-leap-large-ruminants-2016
validate_internal_flows	Internal milk, feed, and manure	Fail when internal flows are omitted before reconciliation, counted as both purchased and internally produced, or left in the aggregated inventory without cancellation.	mass-balance-identity
validate_quality_disclosure	Dataset publication readiness	Fail when the package lacks geography, production system, period, herd structure, milk composition, feed origin, manure systems, allocation, source/factor versions, proxy disclosure, important QA-range exceptions, or material data gaps.	idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022; fao-leap-large-ruminants-2016

10. Published Dataset Profile

Field	Value
dataset_role	Foreground raw-cattle-milk production data package normalized to 1 kg FPCM at the farm gate
downstream_use	May be published as a secondary_dataset or background_dataset for dairy processing, food-product, agricultural, and comparative supply-chain models when scope and quality are compatible
allowed_use	Attributional farm-gate inventory, hotspot analysis within the declared farm system, supplier-specific or representative raw-milk input to downstream models, and scenario comparison using the same functional unit and allocation method
excluded_use	Direct consumer or nutrition claims; processed-milk representation; non-cattle milk; consequential market-change claims; cross-study ranking with incompatible boundaries, allocation, geography, period, or data quality; use of provisional QA ranges as default inventory
required_metadata	PCR id and version state; CPC reference; geography; farm production system; reporting period; herd classes and inventory change; raw-milk and FPCM output; fat and true-protein content; farm-gate temperature; feed origin; manure systems; land management; allocation method and factors; Tiangong identities; source and factor versions
required_quality_disclosure	Primary-data coverage by inventory group; measurement and calibration evidence; temporal, geographic, and technological representativeness; mass/energy/nitrogen balance closure; proxies and missing data; emission tier and factors; allocation sensitivity; provisional QA-range exceptions
update_trigger	Recalculate and republish when milk composition, herd productivity or structure, feed system, manure management, farm energy supply, land management, geography, reporting period, allocation method, reference identity, or a material source/factor changes enough to affect representativeness

11. Data Sources

Source id	Type	Reference	Used for
idf-dairy-carbon-footprint-2022	standard	International Dairy Federation (2022), The IDF global Carbon Footprint standard for the dairy sector, Bulletin 520/2022, DOI: 10.56169/FKRK7166, https://shop.fil-idf.org/products/the-idf-global-carbon-footprint-standard-for-the-dairy-sector (accessed 2026-07-24)	FPCM functional unit and formula, cradle-to-farm-gate inventory, data quality, milk/live-animal allocation, manure handling, direct assignment, and reporting
fao-leap-large-ruminants-2016	official_guidance	FAO LEAP Partnership (2016), Environmental performance of large ruminant supply chains: Guidelines for assessment, ISBN 978-92-5-109523-2, https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/i6494en (accessed 2026-07-24)	Large-ruminant process boundary, whole-herd coverage, feed and manure treatment, and allocation hierarchy
fao-leap-animal-feed-2016	official_guidance	FAO LEAP Partnership (2016), Environmental performance of animal feeds supply chains: Guidelines for assessment, https://www.fao.org/partnerships/leap/resources/publications/en (accessed 2026-07-24)	Feed origin, upstream feed datasets, directly managed feed production, and land-related inventory
fao-leap-nutrient-flows-2018	official_guidance	FAO LEAP Partnership (2018), Nutrient flows and associated environmental impacts in livestock supply chains: Guidelines for quantitative assessment, https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/ca1328en (accessed 2026-07-24)	Manure and managed-land nitrogen balance, ammonia, nitrate, and nutrient-flow consistency
ipcc-2019-livestock-manure	method_factor	IPCC (2019), 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volume 4, Chapter 10: Emissions from Livestock and Manure Management, https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2019rf/pdf/4_Volume4/19R_V4_Ch10_Livestock.pdf (accessed 2026-07-24)	Enteric CH4, manure CH4, manure N2O, animal categories, activity data, tiers, and factor selection
ilcd-units-of-mass	standard	European Commission Joint Research Centre, ILCD reference unit group Units of mass, UUID 93a60a57-a4c8-11da-a746-0800200c9a66, https://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/LCDN/downloads/ILCD_Format_1.1_Documentation/ILCD_UnitGroupDataSet.html (accessed 2026-07-24)	Reference unit-group identity and kg reference unit
mass-balance-identity	method_factor	Conservation-of-mass identity applied to milk, feed, herd, and manure reconciliation	Internal-flow cancellation, milk disposition balance, and QA bounds