ROSEMONT, Ill. — Dairy industry leaders yesterday announced a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions industrywide by focusing on new operational efficiencies and other innovations. “Sustainability is a challenge that requires industrywide solutions, and our efforts establish a new standard for industry collaboration,” said Thomas Gallagher, chief executive officer of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), the nonprofit organization that manages the national dairy checkoff program on behalf of America’s dairy producers. “Decision-makers from across the dairy value chain are working together to commit to concrete, innovative solutions. This will ensure an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable industry.” During the industry’s first Sustainability Summit for U.S. Dairy, attendees suggested plans to form an industry-specific carbon credit trading system; to supply renewable energy to local communities by expanding the use of methane digesters; to encourage the development of low-cost, low-carbon packaging for dairy products; to reduce the need for refrigeration, by developing new packaging and new dairy products; and to work together to develop a set of industry best practices and tools to calculate energy used at individual farms.

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