Co-op News September 2021

12 | SEPTEMBER 2021
AGRICULTURE
Arla releases report on
carbon footprints of its
UK dairy farms
The collective findings of the carbon
footprints of 1,964 UK dairy farms have
been released by the farmer-owned co-op
Arla, which says the data is being used to
cut emissions from its milk production.
The findings, summarised in a new
report, A Sustainable Future for British
Dairy, show that Arla’s UK farmers are
producing milk with 1.13kg CO2e per kg of
milk, around half the global average.
It also details the most common areas of
focus to reduce emissions further, and the
emerging technologies being trialled.
The co-op says the data will help it meet
its targets of a 30% emissions reduction
per kg of milk at farm-level by 2030, a first
step on its journey to carbon net zero.
Arla farmer and board director
Arthur Fearnall said: “There are a lot
of differences in how dairy is produced
around the world. As a co-operative,
Arla farmers want to help the public
understand dairy farming better. We have
put a huge amount of time and investment
into collating the data which we will now
use to make decisions on farm.
“I hope our report is another step on that
journey to provide better food education.
We want the British public to feel the
same sense of reassurance and pride
about just how committed Arla farmers
are to producing their dairy products as
sustainably as possibly.”
According to the report, Arla’s raw milk
emissions come from six key areas:
• cow digestion (46%)
• cow feed (where and how it is produced)
(37%)
• manure handling (9%)
• energy production and usage (5%)
• emissions from peat soils (1%)
• all other areas grouped together (2%).
The report also finds that there is no one
way to farm sustainably, and farmers who
balance their resources successfully are
those with the lowest emissions.
The report highlights innovations on
trial which have Arla involvement:
• Research to identify how to quantify
and speed up carbon sequestration
(the process of carbon being taken out
of the atmosphere by trees, grass or
hedgerows), which will naturally offset
some of Arla’s emissions in the future
given 79% of Arla’s farm land is used to
grow grass
• Implementing precision slurry
spreading techniques, currently used
by 53% of UK farmers which can help
reduce air born emissions of ammonia
by between 30% and 90%
• Supporting current research efforts
across the scientific community to
provide greater clarity around the
difference in impact of methane vs CO2
due to their lifespans, and the further
consideration that needs to be given to
the cycles of biogenic methane and how
these are accounted for
• Harnessing the power of slurry as a
source of energy and fuel through
anaerobic digestors on farm, and as a
potential future fuel source for Arla’s
milk tankers
• Increasing the renewable energy
produced on farm, with 27% of Arla
farmers already producing green energy
from wind or solar
• Developing and trialling new
technologies that will continue to
enhance animal welfare on farm such
as Arla UK 360’s Happy cow measure
and cow scanner trials
Graham Wilkinson, group agriculture
director for Arla Foods, said: “We know
that to feed a growing population, we
have to produce natural, nutritious and
affordable food that is made in the most
sustainable way. Dairy can and should
be part of a sustainable diet and our
new report is a major step forward in
demonstrating just how much action is
already underway across Arla farms as
we move towards carbon net zero dairy
production.
“I’m really pleased that our farmer
owners have collated this data and
agreed to release it. All food production
creates emissions, but our farmers are
stepping up to help with the climate
and environmental crisis we face. If we
want more biodiversity, fewer emissions
through natural processes and a reduced
reliance on ultra-processed foods, then
the only answer is to support British
farmers, who already have many of the
answers, but not always the financial
resources to implement them.”
Arla says the scheme is one of the world’s
largest externally validated sets of carbon
footprint data for farms. Since launching
last year, 7,990 farms across seven
European countries have submitted data on
203 questions covering livestock numbers,
feed composition, crop production,
fertiliser use, manure handling, and use
of electricity, fuel and renewable energy.
This data has been validated by external
assessors in every market, a process which
will be repeated annually.