Arla Foods aims to source 100% RTRS certification for soy in cow feed
Arla Foods announces that with immediate effect it will commit to purchase RTRS (Round Table on Responsible Soy) certificates to cover 100% of the soy used in cow feed by its farmers across Europe. This is part of the dairy cooperative’s on-going commitment to support sustainable soy production.
Arla has been a member of RTRS since 2010 alongside a significant number of other international food producers and feed companies. It has been working across its supply chain to gain certified soy and its commitment to purchase RTRS certificates to cover all its soy requirements follows its decision in 2012 to support responsible soy production.
"We are a responsible company and want to ensure that we maintain this throughout our entire value-chain. Dairy farmers are an integral part of our cooperative model whether they are owners or direct suppliers so buying certificates comes as a natural next step for us," comments Ash Amirahmadi, Vice President, Milk and Member Services, Arla Foods, UK.
Soy forms a small proportion of a dairy cow’s diet and is only added because it provides a high quality source of protein. While Arla is supporting crucial research to find alternative protein sources for dairy cows, it is also seeking to responsibly source soy that is certified for all its ingredients.
Arla Foods UK works with Cargill to meets its commitments
Arla has been working with Cargill (www.cargill.com) in the UK since early 2013 to supply Sustainably Sourced and Supplied (SSS) soy to cover approximately 50% of the feed volumes used by its UK farmers.
SSS soy is supplied via a mass balance chain of custody with full administrative traceability, and independent auditing throughout its supply chain. Cargill works alongside other key global organisations to implement criteria for a responsible approach to soy production globally.
In the future, Arla Foods UK will also work with RTRS to deliver 100% certified soy.
Arla Foods is home to some of the UK’s leading dairy brands including Cravendale, Lurpak, Castello, Lactofree and Anchor. The cooperative processes 3.2 billion litres of milk a year and has a turnover of approximatey £2bn.
Arla is the UK's number one dairy company, by turnover and milk pool, and is the largest supplier of both butter and spreads, and manufacturer of cheese in the country.
Over 4,000 daily deliveries are made to stores and regional distribution centres nationwide, Arla's brands can be found across the dairy category and the company has a 26 per cent share of the GB milk pool. Behind this leading business is a team of circa 4,000 people across the UK located at our dairies, distribution centres and head office.