Dairy supply chainefficiencies: helping totackle climate change

The Northern Ireland (NI) dairy supply chain is playing its part in operating a circular economy model and ensuring that it minimises waste and makes the best use of the resources available.

Information on the dairy supply chain sustainability and waste reduction efforts are contained in a recently published EU Sustainable Dairy Fact book, produced by the Dairy Council for NI, which outlines ways that Northern Ireland dairy processing businesses are continuing to invest in improving efficiency and making significant reductions in emissions.

The publication also puts a spotlight on the use of anaerobic digestion throughout the sector from the farm to factory, demonstrating how reducing waste throughout the entire dairy supply chain, and repurposing suitable waste as a feedstock for AD, is helping decarbonise the dairy sector further.

It includes case studies from three AD plants within the dairy supply chain: on a farm outside Ballymoney, at a dairy processing site in Newtownards and at a third-party service provider Granville Ecopark in Dungannon, all of which is creating renewable electricity, organic fertiliser and biomethane fuel from food waste.

According to the Dairy Council (NI) AD has an important role to play in the future of decarbonising Northern Ireland’s heat, power and transport networks and the local dairy supply chain had helped prove the effectiveness of the technology, with many of Northern Ireland’s dairy processes already fuelled by renewable gas.

Other products from the AD process such as organic fertiliser and CO2 can be sold on as sustainable products – helping to create other commercial opportunities in rural communities.

Chief Executive of Dairy Council NI Mike Johnston commented: “With significant attention focussed on the future energy strategy for Northern Ireland, we thought it important to show the role that the dairy supply chain is playing in producing sustainable products and renewable energy to decarbonise both the dairy supply chain and other sectors throughout Northern Ireland.

“Whilst all of the investments and actions within the dairy supply have been effective in reducing emissions, it is essential that we continue our journey towards the ultimate goal of net zero, and, therefore, we need to continue to be mindful of the UN’s four pillars of sustainability - climate, nutrition, economy and culture. Without sustainable local dairy farm enterprises, we cannot achieve the ambition of a sustainable future.”

The publication concludes with a look at the role Northern Ireland dairy products play as part of a sustainable diet in the local and export markets. In Northern Ireland, they are the main providers of calcium, and dairy also supplies significant amounts of many other nutrients.

Many of the nutrients provided by dairy products are hard to replace and this should always be taken into account when planning a healthy, sustainable diet. There is already concern that some in Northern Ireland are missing out on vital nutrients and this is particularly true for teenage girls.

The local climate and topography mean Northern Ireland is well suited to producing high quality, nutritious dairy products from forage. Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) research shows the sector has already made great progress in improving efficiencies to reduce the carbon intensity of a litre (excluding sequestration) of milk by almost 36% since 1990.

During that same period the dairy sector has increased production by an impressive 81%, making the dairy sector an invaluable driver of the Northern Ireland economy.

The Dairy Council NI fact book is part of an EU Sustainable Dairy programme in partnership with the European Milk Forum with funding from the European Union.

The European Milk Forum is a non-profit organisation which plays a vital role in driving the strategic development, management, and exchange of integrated information initiatives on milk and dairy across Europe.

The EU Sustainable Dairy Programme is a three year European funded multi-country programme to disseminate facts and solutions on how to create a sustainable dairy sector. Other participating Countries are Belgium, France, Denmark, The Netherlands and Ireland.

The specific investments made by three of NI’s largest dairy processors in driving sustainability across every aspect of their business models are featured in the latest EU Sustainable Dairy Fact book.

Glanbia Cheese

Glanbia Cheese is the leading mozzarella manufacturer in Europe, providing custom cheese making solutions to companies in over 30 countries around the world. Glanbia Cheese has two state-of the art mozzarella manufacturing facilities: one in Llangefni, North West Wales and one in Magheralin, Northern Ireland.

The Magheralin site employs 180 people and has been producing mozzarella cheese, primarily for the pizza industry, for almost 40 years. Milk is sourced from local farmers within the surrounding counties, producing approximately 50,000 tonnes of cheese annually for the local and European markets.

One of the main objectives at Glanbia Cheese is to manufacture cheese in a manner that reduces environmental impact, particularly in the areas of energy, water and waste. It is continually making upgrades and improvements to make processes more efficient in order to reduce carbon generation.

In the past 10 years Glanbia has invested £12.5 million on 10 projects that have improved sustainability and efficiency measures at the Magheralin site. Over the last five years milk processing on site has increased, while total electricity and gas usage has decreased with an efficiency improvement of 30%.

In 2008, the site upgraded its boiler and heating systems to natural gas to reduce carbon to air emissions, keeping heavy oil as a backup fuel in the event of an emergency, and in 2018 the decision was taken to remove all heavy fuel combustion sources from site. Investment has been made in a new boiler, which is in the process of being installed on the site, this will initially be fired using natural gas but has the capability to be fuelled with biogas or hydrogen for future carbon reduction plans in moving towards a net zero future. In 2020, Glanbia launched Project Milestone, a five year multi-million-pound project to install state of the art equipment to ensure that cheese is manufactured in the most efficient manner.

The Boiler Hot-well Tank is a fully insulated heat recovery vessel which enables the recovery and collection of condensate from around the site’s processing equipment. This heat recovery system, in turn, reduces the amount of energy required onsite to produce steam.

New whey membrane plant technology has also changed the manner in which this by-product of cheese is processed, with the technology being more energy efficient than previous methods used on site, which greatly reduces energy use and emissions. Glanbia Cheese seeks to utilise new technology and software that improves efficiency and control, with its technical department in the United States continuously developing technology with this in mind.

A dedicated Farm Liaison manager advises suppliers on sustainable farming practices and all Glanbia Cheese farmers are accredited to Red Tractor Standards. This ensures milk has been produced in accordance with the highest animal care standards whilst reducing the farm’s environmental impact. All Glanbia Cheese milk comes directly from farm to factory reducing the requirement for secondary haulage.

Dale Farm

At Dale Farm there is also a strong focus on environmental compliance and reducing the environmental impact of the business. In relation to sustainability, the business is particularly focussed on addressing: – water management – energy conservation – waste management

Since 2017 the business hs achieved a 30% reduction in kWh per tonne of product produced in group; a 40% reduction in water consumption per tonne of product produced in group and a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions per tonne of product produced in group.

The flagship Dale Farm sustainability project is the solar farm installation at the Dunmanbridge site near Cookstown. Completed in 2017, it’s one of the largest solar farms of its kind in the industry in Europe.

The 37-acre solar farm has 15,000 solar panels connected directly to the site and is also connected to the local electricity network to facilitate exporting excess generation to the main electricity grid in Northern Ireland. It supplies 25% of annual site demand, and over the past year it has supplied 7 million kWh of electricity that would power 1,800 homes for a year. During the summer months in particular, there are periods when the site is running off grid completely.

The project was recognised at the Sustainable Ireland Awards in 2018 and was awarded the winner of the ‘Best Use of Renewable Energy Sources’.

At the Dunmanbridge site, lactose permeate, a byproduct from whey processing, is used to feed over 20 local AD plants, generating clean renewable energy. Over 20,000 tonnes of solids per annum are supplied to these plants all year round. Going forward, Dale Farm intends to use this bio-gas to create a closed loop system to recover and reuse some of the energy that these plants are generating, in processing facilities and in their transport fleet. Water Management is essential throughout the entire processing system, for example for cleaning equipment, and a number of initiatives have been introduced over the past four years to reduce overall consumption

These include the installation of additional boreholes at processing facilities and water treatment plants with the aim of reducing the amount of mains water usage. There has also been a move from water to air purging in some applications.

These, and other measures, have led to a 40% reduction in water usage across the group’s manufacturing facilities.

Lakeland Dairies

Lakeland Dairies has been equally adept in driving energy effciency measures across the group’s processing operations.

At its Automated Global Logistics Centre in Newtownards there is an automated process from end of the production line, through the warehouse, until the product goes on to the truck. Between sites the Global Logistics Centre is where deliveries are consolidated, and efficiencies are maximised across the supply chain.

Efforts have been made in reducing food waste right through the process, and when waste is found, it is then used in a biodigester to generate renewable energy.

Lakeland Dairies’ sites are zero waste to landfill facilities, and this has been the case since 2015. There has been significant investment in facilities to allow packaging to be sorted and segregated so it can be utilised to avoid sending to landfill.

There are initiatives to reduce packaging and increase recycled content in packaging as well as making sure Forestry Standards Commission Certification is available on all paper and cardboard packaging.

As a signatory to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, land at Lakeland facilities is managed to promote biodiversity, this includes undertaking wildflower planting projects.

Sustainability is a key consideration right across the Lakeland distribution process. For example, there is new automated warehousing, designed with efficiency in mind. Sea freight is utilised rather than air, with all shipping routes optimised, and road haulage trips mapped and optimised.

Deliveries are consolidated within and between sites and container fill is measured and maximised. There are plans to use biogas lorries and the company is currently investigating alternative fuels.

In the area of energy efficiency, all Lakeland processing sites have moved away from heavy fuel oil to natural gas and on each site combined heat and power (CHP) units are used to generate electricity and harness any waste heat.

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