Milk recording and using protected urea are some of the criteria that must be met as part of a new €6 million sustainability bonus scheme – FutureProof – launched today (Thursday, August 10) by Carbery Group.
The west Cork milk processor is set to offer its 1,220 farmer suppliers the option to avail of the €6 million annual bonus fund if they meet four sustainability criteria as part of the farm-sustainability programme.
As part of FutureProof, in 2023, Carbery suppliers will receive a 1c/L bonus in exchange for the implementation of:
- Milk-recording at least four times/year;
- Meeting certain Economic Breeding Index thresholds;
- Commitment to a water assessment under the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP);
- Using protected urea.
On condition that measures have been met, a once-off payment will be made to farmers towards the end of 2023, a spokesperson told Agriland. Details on the monitoring and measurement of the four criteria will be known later this year, the spokesperson added.
But it is estimated that implementation of all four measures would see the average Carbery supplier earning an additional €5,000/annum from the bonus. This is in addition to savings and gains that would be made through efficiencies and increased productivity, the spokesperson said.
2022 supports
To assist farmers in preparing for the full roll out of the scheme next year, in 2022 Carbery will pay a 0.5c/L bonus to every farmer who signs up.
Opting in for FutureProof in 2022 will see farmers commit to a sustainability pledge, and agree to undergo an ASSAP assessment for water quality.
The 2022 once-off payment will be made in September, it is understood, and will be based on all milk supplied for 2022, the spokesperson confirmed.
It is intended that this payment will help farmers make necessary investments to achieve the full bonus in 2023, the spokesperson added.
CEO of Carbery, Jason Hawkins, said:
“The FutureProof bonus will ensure Carbery farmers take their sustainability approach to the next level, and that we remain to the forefront of farming sustainably.
“We have chosen to focus on four very specific, measurable areas, which we believe will have the most impact, in terms of reducing environmental impact, improving efficiency on farms, and shifting the dial quickly on emissions and water quality, which is what we need to see in order to secure the future of dairy farming,” he said.
Carbery already operates a number of sustainability initiatives such as the Carbery Trees programme under which 100,000 trees have been planted on west Cork farms; the Carbery Greener Dairy Farms programme, underway since 2012; and the Farm Zero C project.
The CEO continued: “Though we are starting from a good base, with years of positive action behind us, farmers have a huge challenge ahead to meet the agriculture reduction target of 25% as set out in the Climate Action Plan.
“We will support our farmers all the way, and Futureproof will be a key enabler of this. We look forward to working together with government on their proposals to do the same.”
Chairman of Carbery, Cormac O’Keeffe, explained: “This announcement is timely, given the targets announced for farmers last week, but the work on finalising this initiative has been underway by the board of Carbery for some time now.
“We already have a significant number of farmers who are milk recording, implementing genetic gain and are using protected urea. The bonus means that these farmers will be rewarded for good practice, and farmers who want to make the switch to some of these practices, or maximise what they are doing in these areas, will be supported to do so.
“Our farmers are committed to farming responsibly and sustainably. They just need to be supported to try new measures,” he added.