The grey water footprint of milk due to nitrate leaching from dairy farms in Canterbury, New Zealand

The Canterbury Region of New Zealand has undergone rapid and significant land use intensification over the last three decades resulting in a substantial increase nitrate-nitrogen leached to environment. In this article, we determined nitrate grey water footprint milk, which is amount needed dilute nitrogen past root zone meet different receiving standards per milk production unit. Our analysis revealed for ranged from 433 11,110 litres litre depending on applied. This higher than many estimates global production, reveals that footprints are very dependent inputs included analyses quality applied water. extensive dairy farming leading pollution region’s groundwater, much used drinking Dairy at intensity unsustainable if not reduced could pose risk human health market perception sustainability industry its products.