Growing Number of Farmers Equals Higher Level of Animal Welfare, Climate and Nature
NETHERLANDS - Since mid-December 2018, the moment that the first Campina milk and yoghurt cartons carrying the broad, independent 'On the way to PlanetProof' sustainability quality mark were introduced in the refrigerated section, the quality mark has been on the up and up within the dairy business.
25 June 2019
2 minute read
The number of certified dairy products grew from more than 20 to 200 and the number of member dairy farms of FrieslandCampina meeting the high demands strongly increased to over 600 farms. In addition, the number of dairy farmers applying outdoor grazing has increased since the start of the quality mark. All this is good news for animals, nature and climate.
On the Way to PlanetProof offers consumers guidance in buying more sustainable dairy products. It is an open, independent quality mark showing better results with respect to animal health, animal welfare, natural diversity, and a substantially reduced impact on the climate.
From a few to more than 200 different dairy products
Last December, only 'PlanetProof'-certified Campina milk, buttermilk and yoghurt were available in a limited number of supermarkets but now, consumers will be able to choose from 200 different dairy products carrying this quality mark, ranging from breakfast drinks to cheese.
Additionally, these products are sold by virtually all major supermarket chains in the Netherlands. Besides, the PlanetProof farmers are rewarded extra for their sustainability efforts at the farm.
Continuous improvement
FrieslandCampina wants to lead with sustainability. Therefore it focuses on milk flows that contribute to this, including the 'On the way to PlanetProof' certified milk flow. Dutch dairy farmers have been working on making their farms more sustainable for many years. For this, FrieslandCampina developed a sustainability programme, which encourages members to gradually make their farms more sustainable.
The programme provides online insight into the sustainability results at the farm and also rewards these. For a number of FrieslandCampina's dairy farmers, it was a relatively small step to meet the high demands that PlanetProof makes in the areas of animal welfare, nature and climate. For others, however, it was an encouragement to make even more efforts to comply with the requirements of the quality mark.
More cows in the meadows
Participants of 'On the way to PlanetProof' are obliged to apply outdoor grazing. Outdoor grazing is not easy to achieve for each and every dairy farmer. FrieslandCampina has seen the number of "outdoor grazing farmers" strongly increase since the introduction of PlanetProof. The reward for participating in PlanetProof combined with the outdoor grazing reward may enable dairy farmers to take this step as well.
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