The higher member dairy farmers score within the quality and sustainability program Foqus planet, the higher the financial contribution they receive. This extra investment is in line with the strategy to lead with sustainability and to offer the best nutrition with minimal environmental impact.
Hein Schumacher, CEO of FrieslandCampina, said, “FrieslandCampina wants to lead with sustainability, and we aim for a carbon-neutral chain. That is hard work and that is what our members do. Already in 2014, they opted to encourage each other to achieve even better sustainability performance, and paying the best performers the most out of it. So, they have been improving in the field of sustainability for years and that is already leading to good results.
“To further stimulate this, we pay out an additional €24m per year for sustainability efforts. And because we monitor how well our members are doing in a variety of areas at the farm level – from emissions of various greenhouse gases to animal welfare – we can also reward very specifically. If our customers continue to invest in this as well, such as through the higher contribution in the Netherlands for On the way to PlanetProof dairy, our members can improve even further.”
Investments in 2019
In 2019, FrieslandCampina also invested more in sustainability projects on and around the farm, financed among other things by the extra price that retailers were asked to pay for dairy products under the sustainability quality mark “On the way to PlanetProof”.
The company said there have already been more than 5,000 participants in “Winning with Climate and Nature” workshops, and it has encouraged members to switch to renewable energy sources.
FrieslandCampina has also introduced milk collection trucks that run on cleaner fuel such as LNG and electricity.
What does Foqus planet measure?
Foqus planet measures, among other things, the environmental impact of a dairy farm, such as the amount of feed produced (protein from the own land), greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen soil balance, ammonia emissions and permanent grassland, but also animal welfare and health.
FrieslandCampina members can see 24/7 how they score on the various components. The number of points in combination with the amount of milk supplied influence, among other things, the supplement paid.