Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has published its carbon intensity indicators for 2016, showing that 1kg of milk at standard fat and protein content was associated with greenhouse gas emissions of 1.285kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).

This is a reduction of one third on 1990 levels.

"Whilst milk production in the dairy sector has expanded by 66% since 1990, the total number of dairy cows over this period has remained relatively static, meaning this improvement has been driven by substantial increases in milk yield per cow," according to a DAERA statement . The carbon efficiency of milk has also improved faster than the rest of Northern Ireland's economy.

Republic

In the Republic, emissions from 1kg of standard milk amounted to 1.14kg CO2e. While there's no recent European comparison, a 2011 official study found the Irish carbon intensity of milk to be the lowest in the EU.

Meanwhile, 1kg of Irish beef was responsible for 11.58kg of emissions in 2016. Those values continue to improve every year.

Read a full explanation of the way greenhouse gas emissions are calculated in Thursday's Irish Farmers Journal.