FrieslandCampina added that it seeks to reward more on collective sustainability goals, with freedom of choice for the individual dairy farms.

Sybren Attema, chair of Zuivelcoöperatie FrieslandCampina U.A., stated, “From the discussions with district council members and the spring dialogue with our members, it has become clear that many dairy farmers are willing to make their farms more sustainable, provided that they receive fair compensation.

“Therefore, as a board, we are committed to increase financial incentives for sustainability on the farm. With the renewed system, we ensure a fair distribution of available funds, stimulate commitment to collective sustainability requirements and set members in motion on sustainability requirements of tomorrow’s market.”

Sustainability Goals

The new system will make it possible for the cooperative and the company to determine which sustainability goals should be the focus in a given period, FrieslandCampina added.

For example, the cooperative considers climate as an important theme for acceleration.

Therefore, the programme will offer additional rewards for dairy farmers on sustainability results achieved in the area of climate-related indicators.

Dairy farmers can earn up to €1.50 per 100 kilos of milk, depending on the improvement in lowering greenhouse gas emissions, it noted.

Foqus planet

FrieslandCampina has proposed changes to its Foqus planet quality and sustainability programme, which encourages member dairy farmers to make their farms more sustainable.

With the proposed new Foqus planet system, members will know in advance where the focus lies and the kind of action that will deliver tangible financial returns.

The dairy cooperative has also proposed to expand the operating area of the cooperative in Belgium in the Aalter region and in North Antwerp/North Limburg by 1 January 2023.

In Germany, the cooperative wants to expand operations to include part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany in the second half of 2023.