Sustainability is a broad term that covers a lot of issues – most importantly, climate change.

So, as we put this year’s Dairymen together this summer (and the world felt like it was either on fire or under water) it felt pertinent to look at just how bad the climate crisis had become and, crucially, ask what the dairy sector was doing to tackle it.

Thankfully, the answer is quite a lot. After what many agree had been a slow start on the path to net zero, this year we shine a light on what an often-maligned industry is doing to reduce its environmental impact, and identify what more needs to be done.

We’ll be looking at the benefits of regenerative agriculture, packaging innovations and improving biodiversity, in addition to just how green consumers think the sector is – and whether those opinions mean future generations will stick with the category or look to plant-based alternatives.

But as our sustainability heroes feature and accompanying podcast series proves, it’s not all about carbon. Sustainability can span how a business is improving animal welfare or how it is encouraging pollinators.

And, as we explore in our exports feature, it’s also a topic that dominates the thinking of companies looking to expand into the sector’s new frontier of Africa. Large European suppliers are not only looking to target a huge new market, they also want to lay down sustainable roots.

 

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The sustainability of the workforce is also a crucial question. As companies such as Arla face a major labour crisis this summer, attracting and keeping staff is also a key challenge for the sector. And our exclusive big interview with the dairy co-op’s MD Ash Amirahmadi lays bare just how challenging that particular issue is for the entire sector.

Given those issues around labour, in this year’s creative challenge we look at how employers can and should make dairy jobs attractive. How can the sector move perceptions away from what many feel is a “poor” and “unskilled” career with low pay, bad conditions and a lack of progression?

Though many of the challenges the sector faces feel insurmountable, history shows dairy is resilient and adaptive. We hope this year’s Dairymen demonstrates just that.

The Grocer’s Dairymen 2021 starts rolling out online this week, while the supplement is included with your latest print issue. You can subscribe here for full access.

You can listen to episode one of our latest podcast series here, with new episodes dropping weekly until mid-October.

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