Strathroy Dairy’s processing plant in Omagh, Co. Tyrone is now officially a carbon-neutral site, according to the processor.
Strathroy said that the carbon neutral certification by Climate Partner UK marks a landmark in its ongoing commitment to sustainability and renewable sources.
Managing director of Strathroy Dairy, Ruairi Cunningham said: “At our dairy plant in Omagh, we have switched entirely to 100% renewable energy sources. In 2017 we invested in an on-site anaerobic digester that generates our carbon-neutral green electricity.
“Together with Climate Partner, we measured the carbon emissions of our company and calculated our Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) on-site in Omagh. The CCF includes our energy consumption.
“The anaerobic digester produces the majority of our electric requirements, with the balance being from other renewable sources. Offset is to cover the footprint of staff commutes,” he added.
Strathroy installs anaerobic digester
Strathroy feeds the digester with grass silage, maize silage, lactose, sugar beat, and effluent from the plant.
The digester fuels two biogas engines that create energy for the processing site in Omagh.
“The renewable cycle is completed because the byproduct of the digester is an excellent food for plants, so we spread that back on the fields again to help grass growth. It’s a complete carbon neutral and eco-sustainable way to produce electricity,” Cunningham said.
“We have been proactive in working to reduce our carbon emissions over several years, and we have now gone from C02 production of 14,117, 531.5kg to 2,307, 358.4kg. This refigure represents an almost 85% reduction in CO2 we produce on-site here in Omagh.
“We update our CCF after each fiscal year and thus have an annual overview of the success of our policies,” Cunningham added.
To offset its carbon emissions, Strathroy said it supports a carbon offset project certified according to international standards.
“We are delighted to support a wind energy project in northeast Brazil. This initiative provides clean wind energy with social benefits for Brazilian communities in the states of Piaui and Pernambuco in the northeast of Brazil,” Cunningham said.
As part of its commitment to climate success and decarbonising dairy, Strathroy has also reduced the volume of plastic used in its packaging.