Climate change: Arla Foods advocates eco-friendly dairy farms in Nigeria
The Executive Vice President, Arla Foods International, Mr Simon Stevens, has underscored the economic and environmental importance of investing in eco-friendly dairy farms in Nigeria.
Stevens said this in Kaduna at the sidelines of the inauguration of Arla Foods state of the art Danish-designed dairy farm in Damau, Kubau Local Government Area of the state.
He described the project as the first of its kind outside Northern Europe, stressing that aside the economic benefits, Arla was also conscious of reducing carbon footprint and environmental sustainability.
Carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced in a particular place and it has negative impact on the environment.
A dairy cow produces an average of 1,530 kg of manure every year, which emits the greenhouse gas methane.
“Denmark and Sweden are absolutely in the fore front of anything that has to do with environmental sustainability.
“So everything that we do and have ledrnt in terms of cabon-footprints on every farm, we know everything you need to do to reduce the cabon footprints by 30 per cent on a farm.
“Scientifically proven and tested with our farmer owners, so we have got that knowledge and expertise that we can bring,” he said.
The vice president explained the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions (C02e) from farms, especially by the way cows, dung, feed, fields and energy usage are managed.
“The Arla farmers have the most efficient carbon footprints anywhere in the world, it’s less than the global average, so I think there is a lot we can bring simply because we take it so seriously in Denmark and Sweden,” he added.
A game changer in the dairy sector
Mrs Anna Mansson, Arla Foods, Head of West Africa, said the construction of the Arla farm in Kaduna which started in 2021 signified a game changer in the dairy sector in the region.
“In 2021, we started actually the first construction at the farm, it’s been a long journey.
“This is a fantastic way of showing how state of the art dairy can be done, how you can get much more better yield to a lower C02 footprint.
“How animal welfare actually matters, if you treat your animals in the perfect way, they will love the environment better and produce more and better milk, milk that is actually more nutritious,” she said.
The Ambassador of Denmark to Nigeria, Mr Sune Krogstrup, said that the project would serve as an economic boost, while deepening bilateral relations between Nigeria and Denmark.
“The impact of this initiative on the local economy would be huge, so it’s a brilliant day for the Nigerian economy.
“It’s our sincere hope that the success of this initiative would be replicated across the country, clearly there is a lot of potentials in the Nigerian agriculture sector,” he said.
Arla foods, a renowned Danish dairy company (makers of Dano milk) in 2021 started the construction of the 200-hectare Kaduna farm as part of efforts to develop a sustainable dairy sector in Nigeria.
NAN/Emmanuel Ukoh
