Dairy is sustainable

A large portion of my inbox lately is taken up with the idea of sustainability – companies are not longer just trumpeting their environmental credentials, they are detailing their sustainability levels. I would argue that most dairy processors and farmers have been working at a sustainable pace for years. Nature is not the kindest of masters and if someone who works on a farm does not do things sustainably, they do not stay in business. With all the volatility in the dairy market, dairy processors similarly have to stay on top of their inputs and outputs in order to keep running.

On a global scale, sustainability is a key concern right now. We interview Jeremy Hill, president of the IDF, in the upcoming December issue. He notes that increasing demand for dairy and making the most efficient use of resources available are the core of the challenges the industry faces. The Dairy Sustainability Framework is key to getting the parameters right for the dairy industry going forward, he believes.

And it is necessary for dairy processors to get knowledge from all areas of the market, which is why the IDF joins up with other worldwide associations such as the Global Dairy Platform, the FAO and the ISO. The global dairy think tank is well and truly established, and looking at ways to help dairy continue sustainably.