Dairy processors, farmers and retailers are unique in the UK for developing a ‘roadmap’ of environmental improvements with the government.

This is the first of 10 such projects being coordinated by Defra, and applies to the entire liquid milk supply chain, from farm inputs to consumer waste.

It was led by the Dairy Supply Chain Forum’s Sustainable Consumption Taskforce, which is chaired by Dairy UK.

At the document’s heart is a series of ambitious targets to reduce water and energy use, cut greenhouse gas emissions and slash waste to landfill. It was published in May 2008 and leads up to a vision of the dairy industry in 2020 which is even more efficient than it is today…

Short-term actions – By 2010

• Farms to reduce water use by 5% – 15% per litre of milk

• Nutrient planning by 65% of farmers

• Waste management planning on 95% of farms

• 10% addition rates of recycled material in UK plastic (HDPE) milk bottles

Medium-term actions – by 2012

• Nutrient management by 90% of producers

• 65% of dairy-managed farmland in Stewardship

• More than 20% of producers trialing technology to reduce cattle emissions

• 30% addition rates of recycled material in plastic milk bottles

• Major liquid milk processors to have an Environmental Management System

• Larger processing sites use low NOx burners on gas-fired boilers

• CO2 emissions from dairies to be 20% lower than in 1990

• Three operational anaerobic digesters running at processing sites

• 10% of non-transport energy from renewable sources or CHP

• No ex-factory waste to landfill, where environmentally advantageous

• Water use 50% lower than in 1999

Longer-term actions – by 2020

• Greenhouse gas (GHG) balance from dairy farms 20-30% lower than 1990

• Dairy farms recycle or recover 70% of non-natural waste

• 40% of energy used on dairy farms is from renewable sources

• Small dairies aim to achieve the medium-term targets of the major processors

• 50% addition rates of recycled material in plastic milk bottles