Tesco, Arla and Muller have launched the Future Dairy Partnership, in a move the companies said was aiming to put sustainability at the heart of the dairy industry.
Announcing the partnership, the companies highlighted uncertainty regarding the future of the dairy industry which was already leading to a reduced supply of milk.
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Tesco, Arla and Muller have pledged to bring together organisations from across the dairy industry to reduce on-farm emissions by 30% by 2030.
Tesco
All 400 of Tesco's Sustainable Dairy Group (TSDG) farmers across the UK will be part of the initiative.
Ashwin Prasad, chief commercial officer at Tesco said: "We have been playing a leading role in transitioning to a low carbon agriculture sector for some time, through the close long-term partnerships we have with our Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group farmers.
"The group has pioneered groundbreaking work on a number of areas, including animal welfare improvements, carbon foot-printing and introducing innovations such as methane reducing additives," he said.
He said to achieve climate and nature goals, the industry needed to work together.
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"It is critical we continue to ensure farmers play a pivotal role in this work, and we look forward to working with them as the work of the partnership is established."
The partnership will include on-farm projects, such as the trial and roll-out of methane-reducing feed additives, as well as exploring new levers through a dedicated farmer focus group.
Arla and Muller
The partnership will also review how to up-scale these innovations for adoption across the UK dairy industry.
An industry-wide report will be produced highlighting the ‘pathway to more sustainable dairy'.
A sustainable dairy blueprint will provide farmers with clear guidelines on sustainability targets and ethical practices, whilst ensuring farmers and processors have the flexibility to select the methods which best suit their operation.
Bas Padberg, managing director at Arla Foods UK, said: "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."
He added with real collaboration the industry could drive a transformation and called on the rest of the industry to join them on the journey.
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"With all our major fresh milk supply customers already on the Arla FarmAhead™ Customer Partnership, we are now in a strong position to lead the change that is needed, together with our farmer owners. The time is now to unite, invest, and make a lasting impact for generations to come."
Rob Hutchison, chief executive of Muller Milk & Ingredients, said: "We know our customers and consumers expect us to play a role in driving positive environmental changes within the dairy industry, and our commitment to this is underlined by our ambition to reduce emissions from our supplying farms by 30% by 2030.
"We are delighted to work together with Tesco and Arla on initiatives like the Future dairy partnership which are key in helping us achieve our goal of creating a better dairy future."
