practices. At the regional level, industry EMS programs are well supported by regional NRM agency, National Landcare and Natural Heritage Trust Programme funding. Dairy Australia will continue to fund this project in 2007/08 with a stronger focus on service providers and milk companies. Milk companies are increasing their level of involvement and interest in industry NRM programs and are likely to be a key delivery platform in the future. Companies such as Bega Cheese, Bonlac Foods, Burra Foods, Dairy Farmers, Fonterra, Murray Goulburn, National Foods, Parmalat, Tatura Milk Industries and Warrnambool Cheese & Butter Factory Company are actively involved in the delivery and coordination of industry EMS programs. SIMON PARK, WONTHAGGI, GIPPSLAND Dairy farmer, Simon Park, has used information from his involvement in the Lower Powlett River EMS project to incorporate water and energy-saving technology into his dairy, improve his effluent management and increase pasture production. The farm is supplied by mains water and Simon expects to save more than 2 megalitres a year by using recycled cleaning water, capturing rainwater and constructing a second effluent pond. Through his involvement in EMS, Simon asked the Victorian Department of Primary Industry’s Barrie Bradshaw to help design his new dairy to incorporate better effluent and nutrient management, and ways of saving energy and water. Barrie’s design advice included new technology that recycles the acid and alkaline water used to wash the milking plant. This reduces water consumption by almost two thirds (saving 650,000 litres a year). Installing rainwater tanks to each shed will save another megalitre. Even more water will be saved following the installation of a second effluent pond, to provide water for washing down yards, sheds and laneways. Barrie designed the pond according to current and expected herd size, selected the best-sized pipes and pumps, and suggested where to lay underground piping. Simon will also install a hot water service that uses temperature exchange to heat water by using the gas that refrigerates his milk. While there is a cost to install the system, this will be covered by the energy savings within two or three years. He also plans to improve his natural resource management after hosting an EMS session dealing with managing soils, nutrients and effluent. The session gave local farmers a better understanding of the fertiliser requirements of different types of soils, and how the timing of effluent distribution can influence pasture growth. Simon’s improved effluent management has lifted pasture production by 25 per cent on treated paddocks. “There’s a lot of technology and equipment out there that we know nothing about but can save us time and money,” he says. “If I learn just two per cent of the information that’s out there through my involvement in EMS then I’ll be happy.” SUSTAINABLE PROCESSING REPORT KEEPS DAIRY ON TRACK Business group: VCI Program: Resource Management o First environmental benchmarks for dairy processing The Australian dairy industry has committed to develop a sustainability benchmark following the launch of an inaugural dairy processing environmental report in June 2007. The industry will report regularly on gains made in water and chemicals use, gas emissions and packaging, as well as complaints over noise and odour from factories. The dairy industry has always taken responsibility for its role in protecting natural resources. But prior to this report, there had been no industry-wide picture of how manufacturers were reducing their impact on the environment and how they were performing. Dairy Australia instigated the State of the Environment Report to help dairy processing companies establish a clear benchmark to compare their environmental performance. Dairy companies representing almost 75 per cent of all the milk processed in Australia participated in the survey. These included Bega Cheese, Bonlac Foods, Burra Foods, Dairy Farmers, Fonterra, Murray Goulburn, National Foods, Parmalat, Tatura Milk Industries and Warrnambool Cheese & Butter Factory Company. The survey was carried out by the UNEP Working Group for Cleaner Production in the Dairy Industry at the University of Queensland under the auspices of the Dairy Manufacturers Sustainability Council chaired by Dairy Australia. The data covered production of all dairy products and included production for the domestic and export markets. Analysis of the inaugural data shows that processors used 10,000 megalitres of water per year and recycled more than 2,000 megalitres with the expectation that water usage will fall in the coming year. Energy use is also expected to drop, as is the greenhouse gas benchmark of 94.3 tonnes per million litres of milk processed. Waste water, measured in ratio to raw milk handled, ranged from 0.4 to 3.2, indicating a clear opportunity for improvement in reducing waste water volumes. The report also detailed complaints received by factories, primarily about odour or noise. Milk factories receive 0.02 complaints per each million litres of milk produced. Dairy Australia, with the help of partners such as Sustainability Victoria, is committed to repeating the survey in 2009.
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