SMK raises the bar again for Planet Proof milk

The Environmental Quality Foundation has the new requirements established after consultation with participating parties. They have recently been able to respond to the proposed tightening measures. However, most of these have been implemented unchanged.

The top level for permanent grassland will increase to 70% of the entire area as of the new year. The share of protein from own land will increase to 65%, without neighbourhood contracts. The share of herb-rich grassland will increase and the emission of ammonia must decrease to a maximum of 60 kilos per hectare (this was 75 kilos).

Some of the new measures did generate criticism from the approximately 800 participating dairy farmers. They find the continuous tightening very fast and far-reaching. SMK counters that there is time to implement all the adjustments until spring 2026. Only then will there be a first audit. 

A different kind of criticism is that of a group of FrieslandCampina members (they make up the majority of PP dairy farmers). The gist of it is that the requested efforts for Planet Proof are really too much and that the extra reward for it is disappointing, especially since FrieslandCampina has significantly improved the reward for a competing program (Foqus Plant). There is only €1,50 per 100 kilos difference and that will not change for the time being.

With approximately 800 participants, the group of Planet Proof farmers has been fairly stable in terms of numbers in recent years. There seems to be no more growth. Planet Proof dairy is now important for retail. It has taken over the place of pasture milk in many areas. At Albert Heijn, it does have to compete with the private label program Beter Voor. By far the most participants are at FrieslandCampina, plus a limited number at Farmel and Arla.