Dairy farmers brainstorm with FrieslandCampina

Over 4,500 farmers supplying milk to FrieslandCampina in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany took part with the dairy’s plant managers in brain-storming sessions through February of this year. The aim: promoting milk as a global climate saver. In over 100 workshops, staff of Europe’s fourth-largest dairy helped farmers to start a sustainability points system. The dairy is also to appoint advisers to help its milk producers start producing their own electricity via on-farm biogas plants.
Projects will also be started to increase transparency of milk production and processing by the giant dairy. In a campaign lasting through to 2020, Friesland Campina is to aim for climate-neutral growth and full sustainability, according to Kees Wantenaar, chairman of the board.
The concept is to be applied from cow to supermarket shelf. One aspect where the Dutch dairy giant is already at odds with climate researchers, however, is outdoor grazing of dairy cows. In many countries this is becoming less popular, not only for economic reasons but because methane production by the animals is regarded as extremely climate-damaging. But FrieslandCampina insists that the health aspects of milk from fresh grass, as well as the animal welfare advantages of pasturing cows, will remain an important part of its future milk production. In fact, it appears that farmers will not be allowed to take part in the new sustainability campaign unless they undertake to run their cows outdoors during summer.