ROSEMONT, Ill. (PRNewswire) — On Thursday, September 24, the dairy industry will make history signing a Global Dairy Agenda for Action during the World Dairy Summit in Berlin, Germany.
Signed by seven organisations on behalf of the world's dairy associations and companies, the Global Dairy Agenda for Action is an industry pledge to reduce carbon emissions as part of its contribution to help address global warming. This pledge builds on past performance to address climate change.
The global dairy industry has a shared interest with governments and the global community to produce nutritious food for today and for future generations in a sustainable way.
The declaration also seeks the support of policy makers to provide a supportive regulatory policy environment that recognises the important economic, social and environmental contributions of the dairy industry.
"This Agenda for Action represents an unprecedented level of cooperation across national borders and along the dairy supply chain. The global dairy community and its partners have pooled resources, knowledge and projects to achieve a more sustainable future," said Povl Krogsgaard, Deputy Managing Director, Arla Foods on behalf of Global Dairy Platform.
"From production of feed for dairy cows to processing, packaging and distribution of milk, many elements contribute to the dairy industry's commitment to reducing Greenhouse Gases (GHG)," said Richard Doyle, President of the International Dairy Federation.
"It makes good sense to reduce GHG emissions - it saves money and improves efficiency in production. This initiative encourages and shares new and innovative technologies and practices for including energy efficiencies on our farms, by food manufacturers and in our warehouses."
The declaration is being signed by Eastern and Southern African Dairy Association (ESADA); European Dairy Association (EDA); Pan-American Dairy Federation (FEPALE); Global Dairy Platform (GDP); International Dairy Federation (IDF); International Federation of Agriculture Producers (IFAP); Sustainable Agricultural Initiative Platform (SAI Platform).
Dairy Industry participants have already begun action in areas like emissions reduction, energy efficiency, transportation efficiency, reduction in loss of milk and milk products, resource efficiency and life cycle analysis and management. These individual activities are not specifically defined in the declaration, but they continue to be major initiatives for the dairy industry throughout the world.
The Global Dairy Agenda for Action is intended as a living document and committed to reporting progress on a regular and transparent basis. The first such report will occur 24 months from the date of signing, 24 September, and biannually thereafter.