NEWS
Nestlé dairy farm on track to reaching net-zero carbon emissions
AgriOrbit
Nestlé ’ s first dairy farm earmarked to reach net-zero carbon emissions in 2023 , is on track to reach its targets . The Skimmelkrans Farm , located in George in the Western Cape , produces some of the company ’ s nutritious products such as Nestlé MILO and Nestlé NESPRAY .
“ Producing quality milk is crucial to increasing the nutritional value of our products without compromising taste and health . It is for this reason that we invested in innovative and environmentally friendly practices to improve care and nutrition for the cows on the farm , which means better nutrition in the milk products produced ,” said Hoven Meyer , agricultural services group manager at Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region ( ESAR ).
“ We have worked very hard to ensure that the Skimmelkrans project is not only successful in achieving net-zero carbon emissions but becomes a model which farms that are operated by Nestlé can effectively implement . In just over a year , we have started seeing some positive results through this project . We have seen an 11 % increase in milk production per cow , achieved a 40 % reduction in energy by using solar power , and a 45 % increase in active carbon in the soil ,” added Meyer .
The results were validated by independent soil experts through testing , screening , and analysing the soil , which confirmed that Skimmelkrans Farm is past the halfway mark to reaching the net-zero carbon emissions goal . Further validation pointed out that if the farm keeps the momentum , it could achieve net-zero carbon emissions before 2023 .
Skimmelkrans Farm has set itself apart through prudent soil work , water conservation , feed management , and manure processing , where the most significant reductions of greenhouse gases occur . During milking , cow manure is collected and separated into liquids and solids using a manure press . The separated liquids go back to the pastures as irrigation , while the solids are released into the soil as compost . The farm has used approximately 4 000 tons of chicken manure as organic fertiliser – replacing some chemical fertiliser with a high carbon footprint .
“ We are proud of the progress to date and are motivated to work even harder in realising our goal of reaching netzero carbon emissions at Skimmelkrans by 2023 . This project is really pioneering regenerative agriculture practices that are key in our response to ensuring sustainable production and job creation .
“ In South Africa , through our farmer support and partnerships , we procure our milk from around 140 local dairy producers , therefore creating over 4 000 permanent jobs ,” said Saint-Francis Tohlang , corporate communications and public affairs director at Nestlé ESAR . - Press release ,
Nestlé
Figure 1 : Nestlé dairy farm on track to reaching net-zero carbon emissions
17 Grassroots Vol 21 No 3 November 2021