DSF launches 5 new global indicators
The Dairy Sustainability Framework (DSF) has announced the launch of five further global indicators for public reporting of the industry’s progress under its 11 sustainability criteria.
Members of the DSF, representing over 31% of global milk production, endorse the 11 criteria, which now include: Animal Care; GHG Emissions; Soil – Quality & Retention; Soil Nutrients; Water – Availability & Quality; Biodiversity; Working Conditions; Product Safety & Quality; Market Development; Rural Economies; and Waste.
The DSF also worked with scientists from the University of Arkansas, members and wider stakeholder groups (including a public consultation) to identify high level indicator metrics for the criteria; soil – quality & retention, soil nutrients, water – availability & quality, biodiversity and working conditions. These join those for Animal Care and GHG Emissions, launched in 2016.
By establishing and tracking the indicator metrics for each criteria, the DSF hopes to be able to report aggregate continuous improvement performance of the global dairy sector.
Donald Moore, chairman of the DSF, says, “Consumers want to know that their food has been produced in a sustainable and responsible way.
“Reporting on these indicators will allow the dairy sector to monitor and report its performance as producers of high quality and sustainable nutrition that deliver the essentials for a better life.”
Work is reportedly underway for completion by the end of the year, to calculate the baseline against which the annual reporting will be benchmarked.
