NATIONAL PRELIMINARY OVERVIEW OF THE EFFLUENT GENERATED IN MILK PRODUCTION

Abstract

The dairy production chain plays an important economic and social role in Brazil. However, the intensification of this activity is also associated with increased waste and effluent generation, making the development of environmental management strategies essential. In this context, the present study aimed to analyze the state of Brazilian milk production and determine how the issue of effluents is addressed in the sector’s principal information sources. This descriptive and exploratory study adopted a qualitative and quantitative approach based on a literature review, document analysis, and the analysis of secondary data from the Municipal Livestock Survey (Pesquisa da Pecuária Municipal, PPM/IBGE), accessed through the IBGE Automatic Data Retrieval System (Sistema IBGE de Recuperação Automática, SIDRA), and the Milk Yearbooks published by Embrapa Dairy Cattle, covering the period from 2018 to 2023. The results revealed changes in the dynamics of the dairy chain, including growth in the cattle herd and production value, a reduction in the number of cows milked, and stable milk production, indicating gains in production efficiency. The findings also showed that, although the Milk Yearbooks expanded their discussion of sustainability over the period analyzed, official indicators related to effluent generation, treatment, and disposal remain scarce. It is concluded that incorporating this information into official statistical databases could contribute to the environmental planning of the activity and to the development of public policies and more sustainable management strategies.