A guide to buying sustainable dairy

Sustainability, farming and the cost-of-living crisis are sharing news updates like never before, creating the perfect opportunity for fine food retailers to investigate the potential of sustainable dairy products in their store. The future is looking promising for sustainable dairy, but there are plenty of challenges ahead – from consumer education to the issues faced by farmers up and down the UK. 

Fine food shoppers are often well informed, or at least keen to know more, so Speciality Food readers’ audiences are ideal candidates for relishing great products created sustainably and sharing the good word.

Thankfully, there are plenty of producers creating great quality – and delicious-tasting – dairy products for sustainably-minded customers to enjoy. 

A shared vision

Speciality cheesemakers Clawson are passionate about doing things properly, taking care of their ecosystem to ensure minimal environmental impact and a sustainable community. “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at Clawson to ensure we have the best environment for our animals, land, employees and members, consumers and local community whilst taking steps to reduce our impact on the planet,” begins Annabel Mclelland, technical and sustainability director.

“We are passionate about everything we do and ensuring we are doing the right thing. We have a dedicated farm care team who support and guide our farmers by sharing best practice, running workshops and working collaboratively.”

Clawson recognises that a one-size-fits-all approach is not suitable when it comes to sustainable dairy production – but collaboration is. “At Clawson we can’t make changes to the whole world, but we can change and work together to create a better future for our farmers, animals, employees and community,” she says. “All our farms have their own bespoke action plans as no two farms are the same. Each farm receives one on one time to support in the plan development to ensure goals/targets are both realistic and achievable. At site are employees are of upmost importance and engaging with them across all functions to share our vision and progress is key.”

Approaching the task at hand with eyes wide open is key to making meaningful change. “We know that our farms are the largest contributor to our carbon footprint and focus has been on these since before 2020,” says Annabel. “Our average carbon dioxide emission per kilo of fat and protein corrected milk (CO2/kG FPCM) is lower than the UK average and almost half of the global average which means our farms are already working to high standards. This in turn has made our goal of reducing our emission per tonne of product produced by 30% by 2032 a more difficult challenge as those quick wins and low hanging fruits have already been completed. We are keeping abreast of technologies to see how we can further support our farmers in hitting this target.”

Conscious production

“At Tom Parker Creamery, our commitment to sustainability starts in the field and runs all the way through the supply chain to the consumer’s fridge,” begins Rob Yates, CEO. “We are committed to using only free-range, whole milk and natural ingredients to ensure that both our flavoured and functional milk products and our creams are clean label, nutritious and wholesome.”

Supporting British farmers has been in the headlines for years, seeing a big boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, so customers keen to support the domestic dairy industry while enjoying a quality treat will be satisfied. “We source our whole milk from local family farms, and it is minimally processed on site, meaning it’s simply pasteurised and homogenised, never standardised so nothing is skimmed off,” says Rob. “And, any ingredients added, such as fruit purees, cacao or coffee, are completely natural and of the highest quality.”

The lives of the animals whose milk and meat we consume is becoming increasingly recognised – with many consumers opting to step away from that resulting from intensive farming – and producers are working towards satisfying that demand. “We work closely with our farmers to ensure our cows are kept in the best possible conditions. This means prioritizing pasture-fed cows, grazing freely in natural pastures,” says Rob. “We play music to them when they come in for milk, install brushes and salt licks, and make sure there are communal areas so that they can hang out together indoors. Each cow also has an individual, well bedded cubicle to lie down in, as they spend around 14 hours a day lying down resting and ruminating. We believe all of this means they make better-tasting, better-quality milk.”

Of course, it’s not just farming practices that come into question when discussing sustainability – packaging is of vital importance, too. “The finished products are packaged in fully recyclable, resealable glass bottles with paper labels to ensure our supply chain is completely plastic free.

“This clean label, minimal processing approach is part of our heritage, evoking the tradition of our founder Tom Parker’s original milk deliveries – delivering free-range milk from grass-fed herds in glass bottles. And it speaks to today’s consumer who is looking for healthy alternatives to ultra-processed food and drink that is good for them and good for the planet.”

Going above and beyond

Cornwall-based Trewithen Dairy has sustainability at its heart. “Sustainability is at the very heart of Trewithen Dairy,” says Francis Clarke, chief procurement officer at Trewithen Dairy. “As a family-run business in Cornwall, we take our responsibility to the land, our farmers, and our community seriously. Over 75% of our carbon footprint comes from farming, so we work closely with our 45 local dairy farmers to implement and support regenerative and sustainable practices.”

“Consumers are driving change,” says Francis, “demanding more transparency, sustainability labels, and verified carbon reductions. At Trewithen we believe regenerative dairy farming is the future and key to creating a thriving, nature-friendly food system.”

The business has taken steps to ensure that its standards go above and beyond the established levels to ensure optimum sustainability. “Our trewFarming Standard goes beyond industry standards, ensuring high-welfare, ethical dairy farming, while our trewRegen Standard focuses on soil health, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration,” says Francis. 

Changes have also been made to production processes – and this evolution has been recognised and rewarded. “At our factory, we’ve invested in energy efficiency, water recycling, and solar power to cut our impact further. These efforts were recognised when we were named runner-up in the Cornwall Sustainability Awards. For us, sustainability is about securing the future of dairy farming in Cornwall; reducing emissions, improving soil, and supporting farmers every step of the way.”

Of course, it’s vital that businesses don’t simply pay lip service to sustainability – they must walk the walk for a better future. “We’re making meaningful change by embedding sustainability into every part of our business,” says Francis. “On farms, we’re leading the way in regenerative agriculture, working with six pilot farmers to boost soil health, increase biodiversity, and cut carbon emissions. We’ve been measuring farm-level carbon footprints for five years, and the trend is heading in the right direction. Our farms already have a lower carbon footprint than the UK average. At our factory, we’ve cut carbon intensity by 35% since 2020, thanks to renewable energy, efficiency upgrades, and innovative heat recovery systems. This results in lower emissions, more resilient farms, and a healthier environment demonstrating our commitment to long-term environmental and economic sustainability.”

While terms such as carbon sequestration and the concept of soil health are of paramount importance to sustainable farms, only a small percentage of consumers speak the language of sustainability, which means that retailers who stock considerately and the brands they sell must take on the role of educator.

Francis is conscious that dairy farming is impactful on the environment, but the business is taking great strides to minimise this impact – and not only that, to improve the health of the land for future generations. “Dairy has a big environmental footprint, but it also has the potential to be part of the solution,” he says. “By improving soil health, cutting artificial inputs, and optimising feed, farmers can sequester carbon and reduce emissions. Healthy soil doesn’t just store carbon, it retains water and improves resilience against drought and extreme weather. Farming with nature rather than against it helps create biodiverse, productive farms that are better for cows, farmers and the environment.”

A sustainable future

“The future of dairy farming lies in carbon reduction, soil regeneration, and ethical food production,” says Francis. “We’re keeping a close eye on carbon sequestration, with early data suggesting that well-managed dairy farms could offset most, if not all, of their emissions. Regenerative farming gives everyone the opportunity to improve soil, boost biodiversity, and reduce artificial inputs, no matter their farming system. Circular farming - where waste is minimised nutrients are recycled, and energy is generated on-farm – will also play a big role.”

At Clawson, collaboration and innovation are key to farming sustainably for years to come. “Working sustainably with our members is key to the survival of our heritage and future of our business. We have a motto – ‘healthy cows are happy, sustainable and efficient cows’,” says Annabel. “Dairy in the past has received negative coverage as being the main contributor to global warming due to enteric fermentation (burping to those who are not familiar with the term). We firmly believe that cow (dairy) numbers have reduced over the last 30 years and cows are creating fewer burps, and therefore reducing the overall methane produced. We need to embrace change, challenge the norm and drive efficient farming, this is done by balancing tradition and innovation,” says Annabel. 

“Dairy farmers have been doing the right thing for years and love what they do. At Clawson we are a farmer’s cooperative who firmly believe a sustainable farm is an efficient farm with happy healthy animals, caring for nature, healthy soils and most importantly a profitable business.”