Renewable energy in demand
Dairy farmers cut power consumption
Today, a quarter of Belgian dairy farmers generate renewable energy. This is apparent from monitoring of the Belgian dairy sector. This makes it one of the sustainability components that dairy farmers are passionate about.
Not only in the Netherlands, but also in neighboring Belgium, the dairy sector must demonstrate that the subject of sustainability must be taken seriously. This means that milk must be produced and processed in ways that cause the least harm to the environment and animal welfare. During the period 2014 to 2016, the first round took place.
Solar panels provide the most power
Monitoring shows that this has resulted in 1 in 4 dairy farmers today generating their own electricity. Energy is normally generated via solar panels and somewhat less often via the use of manure as a new energy source.
In total, dairy farmers can choose from 35 initiatives, grouped in the following themes: animal health, animal welfare, energy, environment, animal nutrition, water, soil and social and economic sustainability.
Since 2014, the percentage of dairy farmers who started working on sustainability increased from 81% to 92%. The average number of initiatives per company increased from 9 to 11 initiatives.
Collection of milk important
The second round has now started. This runs from 2017 to 2019. An important theme in this period is the collection of milk. In the first period, the main focus was on routes and economical driving, but in the second round, the use of fuel will also be looked at. Something that yields both environmental benefits, but can also reduce costs. A subject that is also increasingly higher on the agenda in the Netherlands.
The Belgian dairy sector emphasizes that only grass can be grown on 26% of Belgian lands. Cows can convert this into milk. Recent research shows that replacing dairy with nutritionally equivalent plant-based alternatives has little or no benefits for the environment. Meanwhile, efforts continue to reduce greenhouse gas production.
Herman van den Pol
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