Sustainable agri nutrition company Trouw Nutrition Ireland is rolling out a pioneering environmental footprinting tool, ‘FeedPrint’, to its feed mill customers across Ireland this spring.
The solution, developed by Trouw globally, will allow feed mills in Ireland to accurately measure the environmental footprint of their feedstuffs.
Trouw will also soon introduce a similar programme, MilkPrint, to the dairy sector in Ireland, giving farmers and processors the ability to measure the environmental footprint of their milk.
FeedPrint uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) databases to calculate the environmental impacts of ingredients used to make livestock feed, from grains and by-products to minerals and vitamins.
These databases are maintained and updated by accredited, independent organisations and FeedPrint is synced to use the most up to date information available.
FeedPrint also includes a module that helps calculate the environmental impact of the energy used in feed mills to turn those ingredients into livestock feed.
“Feed and food companies are under increasing pressure to place a tangible focus on minimising their environmental impact,” said Aidan Fisher, General Manager, Trouw Nutrition Ireland.
“With the spotlight on climate change, social responsibility and supply chain traceability, being able to calculate the carbon footprint of feedstuffs provides an excellent starting point for our feed mill partners, a place from which anyone using the tool can grow and improve,” Mr Fisher said.
Trouw’s MilkPrint programme will be rolled out in the coming months to the dairy farming industry, an opportunity Trouw believes will prove valuable for farmers and processors alike: “Being able to quantify the carbon footprint of milk offers huge potential.
“There is no doubt milk producers will see further requests from processors to demonstrate sustainability on farm, as processors in turn are placed under increasing pressure by retailers to prove sustainability throughout the production process.
“Ultimately, lowering environmental impact at farm level can create a more financially stable future as processors will likely move towards rewarding sustainability as a factor in milk price, in a similar way that milk quality is currently rewarded.
“From a dairy perspective, we see the biggest impact on the environmental footprint coming from an increase in Lifetime Daily Yield.
“The production of more milk over the cow’s lifetime will mean the need for fewer, healthier, more efficient cows, resulting in a financial benefit to the dairy farmer and less impact on the planet,” Mr Fisher added.
Trouw Nutrition Ireland has been reviewing its corporate sustainability programme throughout its operations, including analysing its use of energy sources, its approach to recycling and waste management and its use of company vehicles.
The application of a company-wide strategy on sustainability will be finalised this summer.
This work was recently applauded by global Corporate Sustainability Director of Trouw’s parent company Nutreco, Jose Villalon.
On his recent visit to Trouw Nutrition Ireland, Jose said: “Our ethos is around feeding the future – and to keep doing that the whole supply chain needs to work together, collaborating and cooperating at every level.
“The FeedPrint and soon to be launched MilkPrint programme is about helping give our partners the knowledge and understanding they need to become more sustainable, more efficient and ultimately more profitable in the long term.”
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