West Midlands, England, UK: By 2020 half of all milk packaging will be made from recycled materials according to Defra and the UK dairy industry at the launch of the Milk Roadmap yesterday.
The Milk Roadmap - drawn up by a working group chaired by Dairy UK, with membership from across the milk supply chain including feed and fertiliser manufacturers, farming organisations, processors, retailers, packaging suppliers and consumers organisations. - aims to reduce the environmental impacts of producing and consuming liquid milk. Packaging was one of the targets included.
Amongst other targets, dairy producers have committed to reducing the greenhouse gas balance (including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) from dairy farms by 20-30% between 1990 and 2020, according to the Roadmap.
Minister For Food and Farming Jeff Rooker welcomed the industry's collaborative approach in producing this plan of action.
The number of dairy farmers taking part in environmental stewardship schemes are to be boosted to 65%, nutrient planning to 90% and animal health plans to 95%, enhancing their ecosystems, improving animal welfare and cutting emissions from soil and fertiliser.
Evidence shows that milk and meat account for about 7% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, according to Defra.
UK milk production was 13,661 million litres provisionally for 2006/2007 with 6,549 million litres of that destined for the liquid milk market. This indicates that the Milk Roadmap will cover data on around 50% relating to more than half of the overall production of milk in the UK.
Milk processors have committed to achieving or surpassing the energy and carbon dioxide reductions of the sector Climate Change Agreement. They will also use more renewable energy and cut energy and water use compared to 2007 levels, in addition to their commitment on milk packaging referred to above.
Comments
Minister For Food and Farming Jeff Rooker said:
“The dairy industry has acted responsibly in the past to cut its environmental impact, and this Roadmap provides a major new tool to achieve that. Delivering on the targets contained in the document will be a significant achievement. I welcome the UK dairy industry's collaborative approach in developing this plan of action."
Dairy UK Director General Jim Begg commented:
"As a forward-thinking and innovative industry, the dairy sector recognises that it has an important role to play in cutting the UK's toll on the environment.
"Dairy companies seized the challenge of the Road Map project from the start and have produced a series of very ambitious environmental targets for the sector. It is a major opportunity for us to demonstrate that we are about more than just 'green wash'.
"I am proud of the measures that our industry has committed itself to, and proud that we are the first sector to draw up one of these ground breaking Road Maps. I believe we are setting an important example to other sectors and to the rest of the world."
The Roadmap will be reviewed in September 2008, though the dairy industry will be self monitoring the Roadmap. Targets are intended to be robust and achievable starting points for the sector to improve its overall environmental footprint.
Further information
For more information on the Dairy Supply Chain Forum and the Taskforce and the full text of the Roadmap visit:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/milk/supplychainforum/index.htm