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Bord Bia

Dairy Processor Looks to the Carbon Neutral Farm

August 17th 2020

Cormac Nolan, Insight & Planning Specialist, Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board

Irish dairy companies have long been world leading in the quality of their product and their ability to export to anywhere. And they are now stepping up to that world leading status in a newer field - the sustainability and emissions challenge. 

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dairy production are increasingly a focus of international organisations and states committed to reducing their emissions, and also for consumers looking for increased sustainability credentials when making their purchases.  

Characteristically we can see Irish companies responding proactively and seeking bold solutions and dramatic reductions in GHG emissions associated with dairy production on all fronts. The farm is the centre of most GHG emissions associated with dairy production - 85% of the emissions embedded in cheese production are from the farm production of milk. 

 

Carbery have undertaken a programme to develop a carbon neutral dairy farm. It is using a research farm at Shinagh near Bandon to trial and test a series of measures to reduce carbon output and to implement carbon sequestration, to the extent that production from the facility is carbon neutral.  

Collaborative approach 

The Cork based dairy processor is collaborating with BiOrbic, Teagasc, UCD, Trinity College, Devenish, IT Tralee, Grassa and a number of ag-tech companies from the US to measure the carbon emissions and sequestration on the farm. 

 

It is early stages in the carbon-neutral farm project, but the ambition is large. And once the proof of concept is in place, the opportunity to roll out the best practises to a large group of Carbery suppliers, and indeed to the entire dairy farming sector in Ireland is clear. 

The average dairy farm in Ireland emits 502 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year. This is three and a half times more than the average for beef farms, and for sheep farms, and it is four times more than the average for tillage farms. (Teagasc, 2019). So the dairy sector is particularly challenged when it comes to the emissions challenges facing all agricultural output in Ireland, which is one of the reasons forward looking companies are investing in emission reduction now.. 

Customers of Irish dairy in the 180 countries it is exported to are increasingly looking for sustainability credentials. Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme allows Irish exporters to speak to a third party audited standard. 

 

The kind of ambitious initiatives from producers and processors will ensure that Irish produce can continue to be differentiated in the international marketplace. It can do that while ensuring that farmers and processors in Ireland play their part in Ireland meets its responsibility in climate change mitigation. And that it is processor led demonstrates the ambition and capacity of companies in this sector to continue to be world leading, on all fronts. 

Sources