pressure to lower emissions and improve sustainability. So, with that in mind, how have dairy farmers responded? Well, one of the first things they do, is reformulate feed. Feed is the highest cost of their operations. So out goes what are seen by some as ‘unnecessary’ feed additives and down goes an input cost…but this may be very short sighted, as Mike Rincker, VP of Research & Technical Support at DPI Global recently stated2


‘So many times when feed costs increase, the first thought that


comes to mind involves the removal of any feed additives that may be considered unnecessary of nonessential, but it’s better to have a value- added mentality for these additives during these situations’.


Then there is the question of sustainability. There has been some progress with Enzymes and inhibitors making substantial improvements in emissions, so that whilst the U.S. is producing 51% more Milk than in 1990, it has also decreased its per unit of Milk production emissions by 26%3


. This is still an overall gain in emissions. Yet there are further


developments in feed, notably in algae based formulations that hold promise of dramatically reducing emissions.


The final category, is the challenge of labour. This is something that is endemic in all industries. Dairy is looking to meet this challenge by further development in automation and thus increasing productivity whilst maintaining the existing labour pool. The intent of this is to increase labour’s sophistication and expertise and even hopefully attracting highly qualified labour to Dairy. Many dairy farms are familiar with automated manure and feed scrapers and many now are becoming familiar with such devices as robotic milkers. This does not stop there, we will soon see commonly available cow wearable technology that monitors the dairy herd, thus improving not just the overall productivity of herds but also the health of individual cows.


There is just one other area that I’d like to discuss and that is where we… the consumers…fit into all of this. You see about 20% of all…and I mean all…dairy products…are wasted4


. In actual terms, about 1 in 6 pints of milk


in the EU, are thrown away each year and up to 17% of all yoghurts go to waste. That’s about 6.5 million tonnes of just yoghurts and 55% of those losses occur in the family fridge. Additionally, about 13% at retail level plus a further sizeable amount in the dairy supply chains…is also lost. Dairy products are thrown away for a variety of reasons. For example, strict quality standards, temperature control issues, yeast and mould, bacteria, inefficient management of supply chains, grocers unwilling to sell short shelf life products and opting to throw them away. The causes are at many levels and the impact is not just from the content, the actual dairy product…is also at many levels. Just imagine all the packaging that is consigned to landfill as well. This wastage needs to be addressed and it can be, in two ways. Firstly is education, the industry needs to educate the consumer, the retailer and all those in between on the correct way to look at ‘use by’ and ‘best before dates’. This is essential and needs


11 | ADMISI - The Ghost In The Machine | Q2 Edition 2022


‘…ABOUT 20% OF ALL…AND I MEAN ALL…DAIRY PRODUCTS… ARE WASTED!


to be a co-operative effort from all involved in dairy, including the consumer. The consumer will especially need to be included in this conversation. Secondly, we may see the greater use of bioprotective cultures in an effort to prolong shelf life and cut waste. These could be very effective in prolonging the life of dairy products and they do not fall under the label of ‘artificial ingredient’ because they have been around… well…for decades, though I imagine many will still look with scepticism at the use of these.


All these, are a long way away, from when I drank milk in my morning break. It shows how dairy has evolved over the intervening decades and is still evolving. It has also shown how the level of proficiency of dairy farmers and those involved in the process of delivering milk products to the consumer, has grown…and will likely continue to grow in the future.


Eddie Tofpik E: eddie.tofpik@admisi.com T: +44(0) 20 7716 8201


1 USDA NASS, AFBF Analysis, Farm Bureau. Feedstrategy.com US EPA.


2 3 4


Foodnavigator.com


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