British retailer Tesco and its milk suppliers Arla and Müller UK & Ireland have launched a farmer-led sustainability partnership to “transform the dairy industry.” The move aims to reduce carbon emissions faster, enhance animal welfare and protect and restore nature.

The initiative — Future Dairy Partnership — marks a significant step toward uniting the dairy industry when climate change is already impacting food production in the UK.

The effects of climate change on dairy farming are seen directly in the performance and well-being of cows, or indirectly, through impacts on quantity and quality of fodder production, says the FAO.

Moreover, uncertainty regarding the future of the dairy industry is leading to a reduced milk supply and has the potential to affect food security, says Arla Foods. 

To tackle these issues, the companies have pledged to bring together organizations from across the dairy industry to reduce on-farm emissions by 30% by 2030.

Bas Padberg, managing director at Arla Foods UK, says: “The UK dairy industry puts natural, nutritious food on the table for millions of people every day. But we also know that we must accelerate our action to address the ongoing challenges that the climate emergency presents to our food system.”

“We can do more together than we can alone and with real collaboration, we can drive a transformation. That’s why through Arla’s initiation of the partnership, Arla and Tesco welcome the rest of the dairy industry to join us on this journey.”

Driving innovation for sustainability

The Future Dairy Partnership will work toward progress across several key areas, including innovation, industry reports and a “sustainable dairy blueprint.” 

While the blueprint document will provide clear guidelines to farmers on sustainability targets and ethical practices, farm projects, such as the trial and roll-out of methane-reducing feed additives, will drive innovation. 

Additionally, the partnership will review how to up-scale these innovations for adoption across the UK dairy industry.

Further, the program will generate an industry-wide report highlighting the pathway to more sustainable dairy and the innovation and financial support needed to achieve this ambition.

Supporting farmer involvement

With Arla and Müller’s involvement, all 400 of Tesco’s Sustainable Dairy Group (TSDG) farmers across the UK will be part of the initiative. The suppliers and retailers are also expanding the partnership by contacting other organizations across the dairy industry for input and support.

“The group has pioneered groundbreaking work in a number of areas, including animal welfare improvements, carbon footprinting and the introduction of innovations such as methane-reducing additives,” says Ashwin Prasad, chief commercial officer at Tesco.

“What’s clear is that to achieve our stretching climate and nature goals, we must work together as an industry to implement transformational improvements at pace.”

Farmers that supply Tesco are being consulted on the program and will be key in creating the program roadmap, states the company.

“Through our longstanding relationship with Tesco, Arla and Müller, we have collaboratively set standards to measure our carbon footprint to improve animal welfare and biodiversity on our farms. This is all while still producing highly nutritious food at an affordable cost,” underscore Will Hosford, Arla farmer and Dave Jones, Müller farmer and joint chair of the TSDG.

“We recognize that there is even more to be done and that will require additional effort and cost. Through this partnership and collaboration with the industry, we can share our experiences and benefit wider farmers to secure a more sustainable future for dairy.”