Just nine months after Arla Foods joined forces with Arla Foods Milk Partnership (AFMP) to drive down CO2 emissions from farm to store, nearly 30 per cent of AFMP members have attended environmental workshops and over 200 have taken advantage of a free carbon assessment.
Arla was the UK’s first dairy company to include not only its own operations but those of its supplying farmers within its environmental strategy and is continuing to work closely with Partnership members to promote dairy farm best practice, which could lead to them having a lower carbon footprint. One member who is looking at ways in which it can reduce its carbon output as well as advising others is the University of Newcastle’s Cockle Park Farm which has installed an anaerobic digestion plant as part of a research programme. The farm has already held a series of workshops and farm visits so that the anaerobic digestion process can be seen first hand, and farmers can explore how the process could benefit farm operations. Workshops will continue throughout 2011.
As well as looking at the anaerobic digestion plant, the one-day workshops look at the possible uses for the output from the digester, the practicalities of planning and regulation issues, costs and returns and feed-in tariffs.
Dr Paul Bilsborrow, who leads the workshops, said: “By working together with farmers we are hoping to develop and highlight ways of making anaerobic digestion plants a viable option in the UK. “The workshops aim to highlight what is involved in setting up an anaerobic digester plant and give members all the background information they need to be able to make a fully informed decision on whether or not to purchase.” Vicky Porteus, agricultural manager for Arla Foods with responsibility for the environment, added: “Many dairy farmers are excited by the opportunity to seek out more specific information on anaerobic digestion plants without having to go abroad to see them in action.” Arla is about to embark on its next round of environmental meetings with its members which will see them looking at energy efficiency and renewables.