Arla Conferences
As part of E-CO2’s role in the delivery of Arla’s sustainable dairy farming strategy, ‘growing together’, E-CO2 consultants presented at seven regional ‘kick-off’ events hosted by farmers throughout September. These events brought together Arla members and industry experts and covered key areas behind a dairy farm’s efficiency and success: breeding, health, nutrition and benchmarking. E-CO2 discussed the benefits that emerge from carrying out a free carbon footprint assessment on farm. Through the data collection the farmer is able to benchmark their current performance and identify opportunities for improved management practices, which can lead to increased profitability and reduced environmental impact. Data collected from participating farmers is anonymously pooled on the Arla farmer website. This allows farmers to compare against Arla pooled average and top performing farms. The data can then be used to grade their performance, monitor their improvement and identify opportunities for improvement through adjusting key management practices. During the event farmers were asked to sign up to have a voluntary carbon footprint which received a very positive uptake with almost 60% of farmers agreeing to take part.