FINLAND - Valio, a leading Finnish dairy company, has embarked on a five-year pilot to test the feasibility of carbon-neutral dairy farming. 

Four dairy farms across Finland are participating in the initiative, which aims to examine the practicalities of achieving carbon-neutral milk production by implementing climate-focused actions. 

The project comes as the demand for lower-emission food products continues to rise, driven by global food chain emission reduction targets.

The pilot, which commenced this year, is designed to assess the effectiveness of various practices aimed at reducing emissions from milk production and their overall impact on daily farm operations. 

Valio plans to explore the financial implications of these measures and their potential to drive commercially viable carbon-neutral milk. The goal is to see if the carbon footprint of milk produced on these farms can be brought down to zero by combining emission-reducing actions with carbon sequestration efforts.

The participating farms, located in North Savo, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, and North Ostrobothnia, will adopt a range of climate strategies, including methane-reducing feed solutions, regenerative farming, and biogas production. 

Carbon flux instrumentation towers will be installed to monitor carbon sequestration in grassland and carbon emissions from soil. Additionally, biodiversity inventories will be conducted on each farm, laying the groundwork for biodiversity improvement plans.

Valio’s climate programme, launched in 2018, has already made strides in reducing emissions across its 3,400 dairy farms. However, the company acknowledges that comprehensive, on-farm experience with these measures is needed to better understand their long-term viability. 

According to Robert Harmoinen, Development Manager at Valio’s Climate team, this pilot allows Valio to consolidate its research and practical experience, applying it in real-world settings to assess its full potential.

Harmoinen highlighted the need for action at the farm level, noting that over 90% of emissions from milk production occur on farms. 

“Farm-level work is crucial to meeting our goal of producing carbon-neutral milk by 2035,” Harmoinen said. “While progress has been made, there is still a long road ahead to meet this target.”

The pilot also includes an evaluation of the commercial prospects for carbon-neutral milk. Valio is collaborating with its industrial customers to gauge interest in this low-emission product, recognizing that for farm-level emission reduction efforts to be widely adopted, they must be financially viable for farmers and attractive to the market. 

Harmoinen pointed out that international food companies are seeking to reduce their emissions and could benefit from sourcing lower-emission raw materials.

One of the farms involved in the pilot is the Luoma farm in Kauhajoki, South Ostrobothnia. Farm owner Jaakko Luoma has already been monitoring his farm’s carbon footprint using Valio’s Carbo Farm calculator for the past four years. 

His current carbon footprint is 0.76 kg CO2e per kilogram of energy-corrected milk (ECM), lower than the average across Valio’s farms. The Luoma farm has achieved this reduction through improved productivity and regenerative farming techniques that enhance carbon sequestration.

Luoma expressed optimism about the pilot, anticipating new methods to further reduce his farm’s carbon footprint. He emphasized the importance of sharing practical knowledge with other dairy farms, which could adopt these practices as they gain more experience and market incentives. 

“The change will happen at the dairy farms,” Luoma stated. “It’s an honor to be part of this innovative project and contribute to research that could benefit the entire dairy industry.”

As part of its broader climate strategy, Valio remains focused on positioning itself as a leader in sustainable dairy production. By trialing carbon-neutral practices on these four farms, Valio hopes to eventually implement similar actions across its entire network, helping reduce emissions and meet growing demand for environmentally conscious dairy products.

The five-year pilot will continue to explore and refine these practices, with the aim of achieving commercially viable, carbon-neutral milk production across Valio’s farms by 2035.