Carbery in partnership with Bandon, Barryroe, Drinagh and Lisavaird Co-ops is delighted to announceanew phase in our longstanding farm sustainability programme. To build on and support the great work already underway on sustainability on the farms of our farmer suppliers, we are set to offer a total €6m annual bonus fund for suppliers who meet four sustainability criteria under the FutureProof initiative.
As part of FutureProof, in 2023, Carbery suppliers will receive 1c per litre bonus in exchange for the implementation of milk recording, meeting certain EBI thresholds, commitment to an ASSAP (water quality) assessment and using protected urea.
To prepare for the roll out of the full scheme in 2023, every supplier who opts into the scheme will receive a 0.5cpl bonus by the end of 2022. In exchange, farmers will commit to a sustainability pledge, and all farms will agree to undergo an ASSAP assessment for water quality.
Jason Hawkins, CEO of Carbery, stated “Carbery is a company with a commitment to sustainability since our foundation, and this ethos has come from the attitude of our 1,220 farmer suppliers. We have a long record of pioneering sustainable approaches and promoting sustainability on our farms. Whether through our Carbery Trees program under which 100,000 trees have been planted on West Cork farms, our Carbery Greener Dairy farmers programme, underway since 2012, or our Farm Zero C project, we have always prioritised sustainable approaches.
“The FutureProof bonus will ensure Carbery farmers take their sustainability approach to the next level, and that we remain to the forefront of farming sustainably. We have chosen to focus on four very specific, measurable areas, which we believe will have the most impact, in terms of reducing environmental impact, improving efficiency on farms, and shifting the dial quickly on emissions and water quality, which is what we need to see in order to secure the future of dairy farming. Though we are starting from a good base, with years of positive action behind us, farmers have a huge challenge ahead to meet the agriculture reduction target of 25% as set out in the Climate Action Plan. We will support our farmers all the way, and Futureproof will be a key enabler of this. We look forward to working together with Government on their proposals to do the same.”
Cormac O’Keeffe, Chairman of Carbery, explained “This announcement is timely, given the targets announced for farmers last week, but the work on finalising this initiative has been underway by the Board of Carbery for some time now. We are delighted to be launching a positive initiative to support farmers through the changes ahead. We already have a significant number of farmers who are milk recording, implementing genetic gain and are using protected urea. The bonus means that these farmers will be rewarded for good practice, and farmers who want to make the switch to some of these practices or maximise what they are doing in these areas will be supported to do so.
“We have consistently said that we know our farmers are committed to farming responsibly and sustainably. They just need to be supported to try new measures. Through the introduction of this bonus, we are committed to providing this support, and to continue to champion responsible, ethical and sustainable farming, producing quality milk. “
The FutureProof bonus will take full effect in 2023. Implementation of all four FutureProof measures would see the average Carbery supplier earning an additional €5,000/annum from the bonus. This is in addition to savings and gains that would be made through efficiencies and increased productivity.
