NFU outlines Dairy Roadmap Sustainable Pathways report

The Sustainable Dairy Pathways report, commissioned by the Dairy Roadmap and authored by SRUC, identifies what needs to happen between now and 2030 to keep UK dairy farming and milk processing productive, profitable and resilient whilst continuing to improve its environmental impact.

The report is ambitious, but achievable. Focusing on proven actions, targeted investment and shared responsibility, this report provides the evidence base and direction needed to deliver on its ambitions.

Farmers remain central to the success of this – but the right regulatory and investment environment is key.

The report confirms what NFU members already know: the sector is delivering progress, but farmers need clear policy, fair returns, and investment -to-scale adoption.

The NFU will continue pressing for:

• Long-term, stable support for environmental infrastructure.
• Fair dealings across the supply chain to ensure stability and confidence to invest.
• Practical, farmer led measurement and implementation.
• Policy and regulatory certainty that supports dairy businesses.
• Investment in skills, advice and knowledge transfer.

Delivering the pathway to 2030 will ensure UK dairy remains productive, resilient and trusted, securing its role at the heart of UK food security

The UK dairy industry delivers 15 billion litres of milk per year, provides 70,000 jobs across dairy farming and milk processing and 85% of the dairy products that the UK consumes. 98% of British households purchase milk.

The report highlights the significant progress UK dairy has made already with greenhouse gas emissions per litre of milk produced reducing by 22% since 1990, alongside improvements in soil health, manure management, fertilisers and animal health and welfare.

The challenge now is to continue building on this progress and accelerate improvement. 

Achieving these ambitions will require collaboration across the supply chain.

The report calls on governments to recognise the sector’s progress and work with industry to accelerate further change through supportive policy, regulatory certainty and targeted investment, particularly in areas such as slurry management and storage which was a standout priority within the report offering benefits for emissions as well as air and water quality.

It also highlights the need for continued industry-wide collaboration to support access to finance, improve knowledge transfer, build skills and align data collection across the value chain.

We all know that sustainability comes at a cost with £2.4bn in investment identified in the report, which will be required to achieve this transition.

This is about doing more of what we know works, making the right investments, ensuring support frameworks are fit for purpose, and adapting to and adopting new technologies as the evidence develops.

• Do more of what works: Farm efficiency, soil health, manure management, animal health and welfare.
• Invest for impact: Slurry/manure infrastructure, energy use.
  
• Prepare for what’s next: Be ready to use new solutions to reduce emissions.
  
• Enable delivery: Create policies that give businesses confidence to invest.
  

The roadmap to 2050 is underway which will make up part two of the Sustainable Dairy Pathways report. 

For policymakers, this means: Recognising UK dairy’s progress and accelerating further improvements through aligned policy, investment, regulatory certainty and knowledge sharing.

For industry this means: Collaborating to align expectations, unlock investment, reduce impacts, build skills and harmonise robust, practical data.

For farmers this means: Building on existing progress by adopting proven practices that improve both business performance and environmental outcomes.