The Australian dairy industry was presented with the Food for Sustainable Thought Award and was also a finalist for the Natural Capital Award for work achieved under its Sustainability Framework.

The Sustainability Framework was developed by the dairy industry to enhance livelihoods across the industry, improve community and animal wellbeing, and reduce environmental impact. 

It contains 11 targets for 2020 and 41 measures against which performance can be tracked. It was developed following extensive consultation with industry as well as customers, interest groups, suppliers and government.

Dairy Australia (DA) sustainability manager Helen Dornom said the award was an important validation by external stakeholders of the industry’s sustainability goals.

Ms Dornom said the sustainability framework enabled the industry to gather evidence on how it was a responsible steward of the land and to communicate that achievement to to the rest of the community.

Framework Steering Committee chairman Chris Griffin said the Australian dairy industry was committed to achieving ongoing improvement to ensure a sustainable future for the next generation of farmers and dairy consumers.

An important part of the Australian dairy industry implementing the framework was for customers and the community to follow the industry’s performance and progress, Mr Griffin said. 

“We welcome the opportunity to share the evidence of our progress against key targets on our farms and in the manufacturing sector,” he said.

The Sustainability Framework is an initiative of the Australian Dairy Industry Council, which represents all sectors of the dairy industry through the Australian Dairy Farmers and the Australian Dairy Products Federation. 

The ADIC is supported by DA, the national services body for the dairy industry.