Farm data important in making dairy businesses more sustainable

More than 120 delegates participated at a recent Dairy Council Sustainable Dairy event on to promote the need for Northern Ireland dairy farms to capture and analyse emissions data to inform on farm decisions around sustainability.
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DUP Mid Ulster MLA Keith Buchanan was a delegate at the event in Dunadry Hotel, Templepatrick.

The EU Sustainable Dairy Symposium is part of a multi-country European Milk Forum promotion programme to highlight the positive role of the dairy sector for climate action and the environment.

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One of the event highlights was a discussion panel with the three CEOs of Northern Ireland’s largest dairy co-operatives Dale Farm, Glanbia Cheese and Lakeland Dairies who underlined the importance of on farm sustainability to their own businesses.

More than 120 delegates from across the dairy sector gathered at the Dairy Council NI EU Sustainable Dairy conference took part in a discussion around the important role played by Northern Ireland dairy farms in capturing and analysing emissions data to inform on farm decisions around sustainability. Pictured from left to right: Dr Steve Aiken MLA (UUP, South Antrim) with Mid Ulster MLA Keith Buchanan (DUP).More than 120 delegates from across the dairy sector gathered at the Dairy Council NI EU Sustainable Dairy conference took part in a discussion around the important role played by Northern Ireland dairy farms in capturing and analysing emissions data to inform on farm decisions around sustainability. Pictured from left to right: Dr Steve Aiken MLA (UUP, South Antrim) with Mid Ulster MLA Keith Buchanan (DUP).
More than 120 delegates from across the dairy sector gathered at the Dairy Council NI EU Sustainable Dairy conference took part in a discussion around the important role played by Northern Ireland dairy farms in capturing and analysing emissions data to inform on farm decisions around sustainability. Pictured from left to right: Dr Steve Aiken MLA (UUP, South Antrim) with Mid Ulster MLA Keith Buchanan (DUP).

They also spoke about their sustainability plans, how they are working with farmers to tackle climate change and the role that data collection will play in helping market Northern Ireland dairy produce to local and international customers.

Dairy Council CEO, Dr Mike Johnston MBE said: “The Northern Ireland dairy sector has made significant strides in recent years to decarbonise farm and processing businesses, and this has put our produce on a sound footing for providing valuable dairy products for the local market and grow the sector to compete on the world stage.

“Many of the existing carbon reduction techniques such as low emission slurry spreading, energy saving and renewable energy technologies have become more commonplace on dairy farms and this has contributed to major savings over the last 32 years. "

He said the next stage in the dairy sustainability journey will be to capture the carbon emission data on a farm by farm basis.