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Dale Farm is the latest milk processor to introduce a 0.5p/l sustainability payment.
The payment, which is dependent on farmers meeting various eligibility criteria, will apply from 1 January 2024.
The main undertaking is that suppliers sign up to participate in a carbon audit completed as part of a Red Tractor/Farm Quality Assurance scheme inspection.
According to a letter sent out to farmers by the co-op, this carbon audit initiative “is due to commence in 2024 and will take 18 months to complete”. Assistance is available from Dale Farm staff to help prepare for an audit.
The correspondence also notes that the information collected will provide Dale Farm with anonymous results. However, “we would like agreement from our producers to see input data and results at farm level to view trends within different production systems,” states the Dale Farm letter.
Before the rollout of carbon audits, the co-op also wants suppliers to complete an online sustainability survey before 5pm on Friday 1 December 2023.
“This will give a picture of the level of efficiency across the milk pool and highlight areas where more intervention/incentive is required in future,” states the letter.
Farmers who, by 1 December, complete the survey and commit to undertaking a carbon audit are then eligible to receive the 0.5p/l sustainability payment from January to March 2024.
However, to continue receiving the payment into the 2024/25 milk year, farmers must submit evidence of soil sampling and slurry applications by 29 March 2024.
In terms of soil samples, they must be results from 2020 onwards and cover at least one quarter of the land used for dairy production.
Dale Farm will then aim to provide a nutrient management plan based on these soil analysis results, but to do that require information on slurry applications to silage and grazing ground.
“The steps outlined are necessary to strengthen the case for Dale Farm products upon which we all depend and to show our industry in a strong light,” concludes the Dale Farm letter.
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