Tesco, Arla, and Müller partner to slash dairy farm emissions

UK – Tesco has partnered with two major milk suppliers, Arla and Müller UK & Ireland, to launch an ambitious initiative aimed at reducing emissions across the dairy farming sector in the UK. 

The collaborative initiative, known as the Future Dairy Partnership, aims to provide dairy farmers with innovative resources and insights to help them transition to more sustainable practices. 

The program will initially engage more than 400 dairy farmers and may expand to include additional farms and partners over time.

The Future Dairy Partnership will offer farmers the opportunity to participate in on-farm trials that explore various sustainability measures. 

These include testing food additives designed to lower methane emissions from livestock and implementing established nature-based solutions. 

By analyzing trial outcomes, the partnership hopes to create a roadmap for scaling these practices across the entire UK dairy sector, providing an effective way to meet ambitious emission reduction targets.

In addition to trial initiatives, the partnership will compile a comprehensive report on sustainable dairy practices. 

The report will be complemented by a “Sustainable Dairy Blueprint,” outlining clear guidelines for dairy farms on setting carbon and nature targets, data reporting, and ethical practices. 

According to Arla Foods UK’s managing director, Bas Padberg, this collaboration marks a significant step toward driving industry-wide change. 

“We can do more together than we can alone, and with real collaboration, we can drive a transformation. Through Arla’s initiation of the partnership, Arla and Tesco welcome the rest of the dairy industry to join us on this journey,” Padberg said.

The partnership builds upon Tesco’s longstanding commitment to sustainability in the dairy industry through the Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group, which has engaged hundreds of farmers for years. 

This group fosters knowledge-sharing on topics such as carbon footprint measurement, emission-reducing technologies, and animal welfare improvements. 

Ashwin Prasad, Tesco’s chief commercial officer, emphasized the importance of involving farmers directly in the initiative: “It’s critical we continue to ensure farmers play a pivotal role in this work, and we look forward to working with them as the partnership develops.”

Each organization involved has committed to science-based climate targets aligned with the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). 

Tesco, for example, aims to achieve carbon-neutral global operations by 2035, with a net-zero value chain by 2050. 

Müller has set its sights on reaching net-zero in the UK and Ireland by 2050, with an interim goal to reduce emissions from its direct supplier farms by 30% by 2030 (against a 2021 baseline). 

Participating farmers receive a financial incentive to join Müller’s sustainability initiative, encouraging broader engagement. 

Arla, in turn, has pledged to cut its Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030, using a 2015 baseline to measure progress.

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