Ireland-based food firm Kerry Group has achieved 100% certification of its 3,300 milk suppliers in Ireland, under the country's Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS).
Developed by the Irish Food Board (Bord Bia), SDAS is a quality and sustainability programme that tests farm performances every 18 months. Launched in December 2013, Kerry has become the first major milk processor to achieve complete certification.
The Group’s milk suppliers, spread around South-West Ireland, provide Kerry with over 1.2 billion litres of milk every year.
Kerry Group says that the SDAS audit will recognise company's long-term commitment to quality, food safety and traceability, as well as animal health and pasture management.
Sustainability
In addition, Board Bia also determines a carbon footprint for each farm using an accredited model, giving feedback to farmers at the end of the audit.
“It is increasingly important that we can demonstrate to customers and consumers that their food is safely and sustainably produced,” said Edmond Scanlon, CEO Designate of Kerry Group .
Ireland's Minister of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Michael Creed, added that the future of Irish agriculture is deeply connected to sustainable intensification.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Francesca Volpe. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
