Food technology and ingredients company Kerry Group has launched a €6 million sustainability programme, designed to support milk suppliers transition to more sustainable farming practices.
The company said over 3,000 farm families across the south west of Ireland will benefit from the initiative, which will provide technical and financial support to the company’s milk suppliers.
As a result of these changes, Kerry Group expects there will be a "very significant" reduction in carbon and ammonia emissions, improvements in water quality and enhanced biodiversity.
In a statement, the company said it is committed to providing leadership in reaching science-based climate targets.
"Consumers globally want to consume food in a more sustainable way and it is important to examine how we can deliver dairy in a better way for people and the planet," said Pat Murphy, CEO of Kerry's Dairy Business.
"Our Beyond the Horizon sustainability strategy sets out ambitious targets and our dairy business is committed to supporting our milk suppliers in the adoption of sustainable actions," he added.
Mr Murphy said their ambition is to reach over two billion people with sustainable nutrition solutions by 2030.
"A central element of this strategy is a commitment to work with our suppliers to reduce emissions intensity by 30% across our supply chain," he said.
"This dairy sustainability programme underpins our ambition to work with our milk suppliers in achieving these targets and in forging a sustainable future," he added.
