Planet Proof and Better Life join forces

To put this into practice, FrieslandCampina and Farmel are launching a pilot program with 40 dairy farms to work towards the animal welfare criteria of the 1-star Better Life certification. Both certifications will continue to exist alongside each other. 

"By working together, we aim to strengthen each other and create opportunities for dairy farmers who want to make their businesses more sustainable. In doing so, we are also responding to market demand for improved animal welfare," says Gijs Dröge, director of SMK.

We are joining forces with the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals to continue working with dairy chains towards increasingly sustainable dairy production. On the way to Planet Proof We continue to develop in the areas of climate, biodiversity, animal health, and certainly animal welfare. Through coordination and collaboration, including with dairy companies and supermarket chains, we are making faster progress in making dairy products more sustainable throughout the entire chain.

"The Beter Leven quality mark stands for improving the welfare of dairy cattle and promoting nature and the environment in dairy farming," says Marijke de Jong, strategic advisor for the Beter Leven quality mark. "Our core ambitions align with those of On the way to PlanetProof. By joining forces, we can make an even greater impact on sustainability and animal welfare together with companies within the dairy chain."

Feasibility and pace
With a focus on feasibility, both in terms of time and costs, the parties aim to elevate animal welfare in dairy farming through joint efforts. To this end, SMK and the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals are launching a pilot program with a duration of at least three years. The pilot program will begin on 40 dairy farms supplying On the way to PlanetProof milk to FrieslandCampina and Farmel. For the rollout and further scaling up, collaboration with supermarket chains will be sought during the pilot program.

Appropriate reward
A key objective of the pilot is to investigate the practical and financial needs of these dairy farmers as they implement the required animal welfare measures toward the 1-star Better Life certification. Crucial in this regard is the development of an appropriate, transparent remuneration structure.

"We believe it is a positive development that there will be collaboration between different sustainability labels, as this will also strengthen consumer confidence," says Aniruddha Kusurkar, Managing Director of FrieslandCampina Consumer Dairy Netherlands.

"We are also pleased with this collaboration," says Jehannes Miedema of Farmel. "We see this as a great opportunity to support On the way to PlanetProof participants through a market-driven approach to take further steps in sustainability and animal welfare within their milk flow, with appropriate compensation."