Kerry Group launches €6m sustainability programme

Black cow with herd at green field

Over 3,000 farm families across the southwest of Ireland will benefit from a new sustainability incentive programme from Kerry Group’s Dairy Business.

The €6m initiative will provide educational and financial support to the company’s milk suppliers to help them transition to more sustainable farming practices. 

The adoption of science-based sustainable actions and best practice will deliver reductions in carbon and ammonia emissions, improvements in water quality and enhanced biodiversity.

Areas of action targeted as part of the programme include efficient energy use, knowledge transfer, grass management, herd health, biodiversity, production efficiency and soil and fertiliser management. The potential incentive for the average milk supplier is up to €2,000 per herd.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, emissions from agriculture account for just under a third of Ireland's total greenhouse gas emissions.

Around two-thirds of this comes from methane, with ruminant digestion responsible for around half of this.

Nitrous oxide released from artificial fertiliser and slurry accounts for around 30% of Irish agricultural emissions, with the remaining 5% in the form of carbon dioxide from energy use and fuel consumption.

Evolve

The programme will pay farmers up to €40 a tonne to use protected urea fertiliser and €5 a tonne for lime purchased through an approved supplier.

Better nutrient use will also be encouraged through a €20 payment for each slurry sample completed and a €100 payment if the farm has a completed Nutrient Management Plan.

Milk recording, breeding consultations, low-protein feed and grass measuring will also be rewarded, with payments of €100/herd to be paid on the condition five or more grass covers are recorded.

Participating farmers will also be paid €50 a time to attend approved knowledge transfer events on topics relating to sustainability.

Pat Murphy, chief executive of Kerry’s Dairy Business, said: “At Kerry, we have a proud tradition of working with others to achieve better outcomes. 

"Our Beyond the Horizon sustainability strategy sets out ambitious targets for the business and today our dairy business is making a significant financial commitment of up to €6 million per annum aimed at supporting our milk suppliers in the adoption of sustainable actions in 2022 and beyond.

“Our ambition is to reach over two billion people with sustainable nutrition solutions by 2030. A central element of this strategy is a commitment to work with our suppliers to reduce emissions intensity by 30% across our supply chain. 

"Our Evolve dairy sustainability programme underpins our ambition to work with our milk suppliers in achieving these targets and in forging a sustainable future.”

James O’Connell, General Manager of Kerry Agribusiness, added: “Our milk suppliers are already amongst the most sustainable milk producers in the world. 

"We are absolutely committed to working with them in building upon that advantage and in accelerating the enhancement of biodiversity and water-quality across our catchment and in reducing carbon and ammonia emissions.”