Pre-farmgate sustainability reporting

Background:

Many dairy companies are experiencing pressure from customers (ie retailers) to report on the sustainability of products and supply chains. At a local level some dairy farmers are experiencing pressure from the community on the environmental impacts of dairy farms.

The industry does not currently have an evidence-based environmental reporting system to support its claim that it is a ‘responsible user of resources at the pre-farm gate level’, relying on Dairying for Tomorrow
projects and tools to provide evidence.

Project objective:

Develop an industry "pre-farm gate sustainability reporting framework”.

Project scope:

The expert group established through the Dairy Moving Forward process recommended the establishment of a sustainability reporting working group with representation from major dairy companies, ADF, DA and possibly ASCA as a starting point.

Their role is to oversee a preliminary program of work to undertake stakeholder analysis to determine relevant pre- farm gate sustainability indicators. The information generated in step 1 would be used to inform the development of an industry pre-farm gate sustainability reporting framework. 

Outcomes/benefits:

The key outcome for this project is industry endorsement for a common “pre-farm gate sustainability reporting framework". Sustainability is a growing concern for consumers and regulators, and therefore has the capacity to impact on farm production processes.

More information:

For more information, please contact Cathy Phelps, Dairy Australia Natural Resource Management Program Manager.