Dairy industry gets pat on the back for green initiative

Farmers team up with Carbon Trust to develop new carbon footprinting guidelines. From BusinessGreen.com, part of the Guardian Environment Network
guardian.co.uk, Friday 7 August 2009 12.34 BST

Dairy UK, the trade group for the dairy industry, has today announced that it is to team up with the Carbon Trust to develop a new guide for measuring and reporting on the carbon footprint of dairy products.
The project, which could pave the way for carbon labels appearing on a bottle of milk or block of cheese, will see dairy farmers, processors and retailers work with the Carbon Trust to develop a single set of guidelines for measuring the industry's carbon emissions.
Dairy UK environment manager Fergus McReynolds hailed the project as "a real stride forward" for the industry. "Businesses from farmers to major processors will finally have access to a single set of carbon footprinting guidelines," he said. "With full Carbon Trust accreditation, this will become the standard for the sector, allowing true comparisons between different businesses and winning the confidence of the retailers."
The announcement came on the same day as Dairy UK released a new report suggesting that it was on track to meet, and in many cases exceed, several environmental targets set for 2010.
The survey found that more than 45 per cent of dairy producers now have farmland in official environmental schemes, putting the industry on track to reach its 50 per cent target for 2010.
Moreover, nearly half of dairy farmers now have a nutrient management plan designed to help limit methane emissions from cattle in place, while milk processors are on track to meet a target of incorporating 10 per cent recycled plastic in milk bottles by the end of 2010.
The performance was welcomed by farming minister Jim Fitzpatrick, who praised the industry for taking a leading role in the development of low-carbon production methods and issued a thinly veiled warning to other parts of the food industry that they would soon have to follow suit.
"In the future, all our food industries are going to need to do more to meet the challenges of climate change and conserving and preserving our natural resources," he said. "The dairy industry has shown what can be done in a short time, and has set a clear benchmark for other food businesses."
He added that the government was putting the finishing touches to a new assessment of the UK's food security, which will include a consultation on the development of new food sustainability indicators.
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