Huge efforts by the British dairy industry to further reduce its environmental impact have been revealed in a new report.
The updated and refreshed Dairy Roadmap highlights some of the real progress by dairy farmers, processors and retailers since its launch in 2008.
Key achievements:
• 77 per cent of dairy holdings are now implementing nutrient management plans. In addition to this, 69 per cent of these farmers are updating their management plan every year.
• Of the 43 large processing sites (those processing over 50 tonnes of milk a day) currently reporting into the Roadmap, 39 (91 per cent) have an EMS in place.
• Dairy farmers have met their 2015 target of 15 per cent renewable energy uptake.
• Currently only four per cent of ex-factory waste from large Dairy Roadmap sites is sent to landfill, this is compared to 32% in 2008. 14 large sites reported zero waste to landfill in 2014, a vast improvement from 2008 when no sites were doing this.
• 78 per cent of dairy farmers are currently taking action to reduce the GHG emissions on their farm-this is the highest percentage out of all farming sector.
Chairman of the Dairy Roadmap and NFU dairy board chairman, Rob Harrison, said: “The progress that’s been made in our sector over the past seven years has been astounding and this new edition of the Dairy Roadmap clearly shows some of the excellent work being done across the supply chain.
“The whole supply chain is doing their bit to adhere to the programme of targets to help make the dairy supply chain more environmentally sustainable. Despite current challenges across our industry we are continuing to work towards a shared goal and this is a fantastic example of industry collaboration.
“We will challenge ourselves with relevant environmental targets for 2020 and 2025, such as implementing on-farm technology to help reduce emissions and an increase in biodiversity at processor sites. These will evolve and adapt, to ensure that the British dairy industry continues to work responsibly to mitigate its environmental impact to provide for a more sustainable future.”
The Dairy Roadmap demonstrates that action is being taken and changes being made in order to protect the environment while still moving the industry forwards.
The Roadmap is made up of two main bodies: the steering group and a wider task force. The steering group holds responsibility for production of the Dairy Roadmap. The group includes members from AHDB Dairy, Dairy UK and the NFU. The main role of the steering group is to check and evaluate the targets set and reviewing what we are doing to align with global best practice.
The wider taskforce is made up of various industry stakeholders, including farmer representatives, retailers, dairy processors, government and industry partners. The taskforce are committed to supporting the Dairy Roadmap and encouraging industry adoption at their respective levels in the supply chain.
You can read the report here.
