UK Project Launched to Promote Sustainable Dairy Farming

AFBI in collaboration with a consortium of leading dairy research and industry organisations, today announced the launch of the UK Dairy Carbon Network project. Funded by DEFRA, this pioneering initiative aims to support the dairy industry to significantly reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions through the deployment of innovative mitigation measures.

The UK Dairy Carbon Network project will establish a network of 56 dairy farms, across four major dairying regions in the UK: Northern Ireland; Cumbria and Southwest Scotland; Northwest England; and South/Southwest England and West Wales. These dynamic networks will serve as demonstration hubs where farmers, industry, scientists and policy representatives will work together to deploy and measure the real world impact of solutions to reduce GHG emissions.

Led by AFBI, as part of a UK wide consortium of leading organisations, including the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), AgriSearch, UK Agritech Centre, ADAS, Aberystwyth University, Queen’s University Belfast, Harper Adams University, University of Reading, Newcastle University and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), the project will assess the effectiveness of a variety of mitigation approaches on real farms. These measures will include innovations in animal management, land use, nutrient management and technology. Furthermore, the project will support farmers in achieving more efficient use of nitrogen and phosphorus, promoting both environmental and economic sustainability.

“Our goal within the project is to drive meaningful change in the dairy sector by applying research findings directly to real-world farming conditions and measuring the impact,” said Professor Steven Morrison, AFBI who leads the project. “By working closely with farmers and using advanced measurement and modelling techniques, we aim to measure and report significant reductions in the carbon emissions from dairy farming in the UK. During the formation of the project the interest from across the agricultural sector was immense, with over 50 organisations offering support and indicating a willingness to get involved in the project.”

Impact will be assessed through a combination of direct measurements, novel indicators, and farm-level carbon footprint models. This holistic approach is designed to enable mitigation measures to be accurately captured at a national level inventory, accelerate the adoption of GHG-reducing practices and further improve the sustainability of dairy farming across the UK.

Knowledge exchange is central to the project’s success. The UK Dairy Carbon Network will implement a farmer-led, peer-to-peer learning model, ensuring that successful mitigation strategies can be widely shared and adopted within the dairy farming community.

“AHDB and AgriSearch will be providing more information to farmers about how the four farming networks will work across the UK. Interested farmers will then have the opportunity to express their interest in taking part in the project.  The selected farmers will be at the heart of these dynamic networks and will demonstrate a range of carbon mitigation strategies on their farms.  The lessons learned from this will be communicated to policy makers, industry, academia and, most importantly, other farmers.”

The launch of this UK Dairy Carbon Network project marks a significant step forward in addressing the climate change challenge within the agricultural sector.  This Defra funded project presents a unique collaborative, science-backed approach, spanning the supply chain, to further enhance the sustainability of UK dairy farming.

Notes to editors: 

AFBI is an arms-length body of DAERA delivering research and development, diagnostic and analytical testing, emergency response capability and expert scientific advice for DAERA and other government departments, public bodies and commercial companies in Northern Ireland, and further afield.

AFBI’s Vision is “Scientific excellence delivering impactful and sustainable outcomes for society, economy and the natural environment”.

AFBI’s Purpose is to deliver trusted, independent research, statutory & surveillance science, and expert advice that addresses local and global challenges, informs government policy and industry decision making, and underpins a sustainable agri-food industry and the natural and marine environments.

AFBI’s strategic priorities:

• Leading improvements in the agri-food industry to enhance its sustainability;
• Protecting animal, plant and human health;
• Enhancing the natural and marine environment;
• Delivering quality outcomes and impact;
• Enabling world class science through excellence in people, places & technology.

Share this page