The Sustainable Dairy Chain initiative ('Duurzame Zuivelketen' in Dutch) embodies the commitment of the Dutch dairy industry to take significant steps concerning three major themes:

• Energy and Climate;
• Animal health and welfare;
• Grazing, and
• Biodiversity (closing of mineral loops, sustainable soy, landscape conservation).

Working together, dairy farmers and the processing industry in the Netherlands have set collective goals. These goals are being pursued more specifically through a number of ongoing projects. For more information on their progress, see the attached 2010 annual report “Breakthrough in sustainability”.

• Farmers are encouraged to plant riverbanks and other marginal areas in trees, or other appropriate vegetation, through regional riparian plans and through the national emissions trading scheme.
• For example, farmers in the Taranaki region have planted 4,500 kilometres of river bank in riparian strips, with a further 3,400 kilometres proposed. These strips sequester carbon, improve local water quality and increase biodiversity.

Emissions Trading Scheme

• New Zealand dairy farmers now face a financial price for all greenhouse gas emissions. Farmers are always aiming to reduce energy and fuel use. The potential to avoid carbon costs provides an additional benefit from doing so.

Enhancing biodiversity and productivity through:

• Fencing off remanent vegetation
• Rehabilitating and protecting waterways
• Planting shelterbelts
• Planting new pastures
• Capturing nutrients from dairy effluent
• Developing soil nutrient maps

New pastures using much more productive and sustainable perennial species has resulted in a significant lift in total ‘home grown feed’ which has allowed the milking herd to be raised from 200 cows in 2005 to over 300 cows in 2009.

Enhancing riparian planting

• The McCarthys have planted trees in paddocks, along paddock-riparian boundaries and in ring-fenced thickets away from watercourses.
• The trees provide shade for stock and have enhanced the aesthetic value of the farm.
• They are also an important store of carbon.

“We have been implementing sustainable dairying practices on our farm for decades and the benefits are clear for us, for our farm environment and for future generations.”

“I want to make sure we do not degrade the environment and, that we are improving it where possible by using measures such as shelterbelts for stock,” -Jill Williams

Enhancing biodiversity through:

• Fencing off remanent vegetation
• Rehabilitating and protecting waterways
• Planting shelterbelts

Enhancing biodiversity, productivity and animal health and welfare through:

• Planting shelterbelts

The benefits, apart from value adding to the farm  due to the asthectics, are very apparent in the health of the cattle .  Less heat and cold stress . The animals use less fodder in the winter to keep warm  which reduces the need to buy in fodder  or put extra  fertilizer on the pastures . In the summer months sheltered cows will demand less water and there is less drying of the pastures therefore better growth  rates . The other big advantage  we have noticed is that we do not use herbicides, as we provide a perfect habitat for native birdlife which keeps the insects in check

“This project gave me the chance to address a few issues I’d been negative about or had simply put in the ‘too hard basket”. - Graeme Mabin

Enhancing biodiversity through:

• Fencing off remanent vegetation
• Rehabilitating waterways

See Picture