Reducing carbon footprints in grassland-dominated milk production by rewetting of organic soils and intensified forage productivity on mineral soils

) is identified at a peatland share of 21.8 %. Farms below this threshold can maintain forage production by intensifying mineral soils, while those exceeding it, such as high peat share farms (40% peatland), face structural shortfalls and can realistically rewet only half of their peatland area without production losses. At regional scale, a circular solution appears biophysically feasible. Aggregated results for the Ammer region indicate that the potential forage surplus from intensification on mineral soils exceeds deficits associated with peatland rewetting by nearly two-fold, while additional emissions from intensified production and increased transport remain small relative to mitigation gains. Practical implementation, however, needs to manage increased nitrogen losses on intensified mineral soils and account for site-specific socio-economic constraints. Realizing this transformation requires EU Common Agricultural Policy payments to incentivize regional cooperation and address associated socio-economic implications of transitioning away from drained peatland use, providing the necessary framework for integrating alternative land-use and restoration goals.