In this issue...

Register NOW for the DSF members meeting, welcome a new DSF Governor and read the first Daisy Asia Annual Report. Plus much more...

Members have been asking for more opportunities to meet other members and maximise the value of DSF membership in addressing sustainability challenges.

The DSF has already sent out an invitation to all members to join us to network with other members: How are they addressing sustainability challenges in their own unique, though often similar situations?

The interactive agenda includes sessions on:

• The value of Aggregation to both members and the DSF
• Members development and sharing session based on the 11 Criteria
• Members' dinner with guest speakers
• Key Note Address – ‘The Evolution of Sustainability and What’s Next’
• Panel Discussion with members of the DSF Multi-stakeholder Advisory Council
• The DSF reporting mandate and how members contribute to delivery
• Indicators Workshop with Dr Marty Matlock on the final four indicator metrics currently under development.

An updated invitation will be circulated to members next week.

The DSF operates under 11 Sustainability Criteria, which enable the DSF to align the sector and publicly report the aggregate global sustainability progress of the dairy industry. This demonstrates the seriousness with which the sector considers sustainability. 

The DSF operates a continuous improvement model with high level reporting via indicator metrics for each of the 11 DSF Criteria.

Seven of these indicators have now been developed through a process of transparent engagement with the membership. The indicators were revised internally to reflect a global perspective on what is appropriate and achievable in the many different geographies and diversity of production systems managed by the members of the DSF.

An external consultation has been underway since the beginning of March on these Indicator Reporting Guidelines and will remain open until midnight GMT on 30^th March, at which point we will review the feedback, making changes where the suggested provides additional value to what we are aspiring to achieve.

The Guidelines and the comments and questions section for external stakeholder consultation can be accessed at https://www.dsfglobalcriteria.org/.

The DSF has initiated the process to identify and establish the final four high level indicator metrics.

These four Criteria and their Strategic Intents (aspirational goals – what members are aspiring to achieve through their improvement programs) are listed below:

Waste - Waste generation is minimized and, where unavoidable, waste is reused and recycled.

Market Development - Participants along the dairy value chain are able to build economically viable businesses through the development of transparent and effective markets.

Rural Economies - The dairy sector contributes to the resilience and economic viability of farmers and rural communities.

Product Safety & Quality - The integrity and transparency of the dairy supply chain is safeguarded, so as to ensure the optimal nutrition, quality, and safety of products.

Once again the development will be a transparent and collaborative process where we will work with our members to identify potential indicators, perform a materiality assessment, and propose a set of top candidates for consideration and discussion by member organizations. Already, we have gained valuable feedback from member companies on their activities under the four criteria and a survey has been drafted to capture ideas for potential indicator metrics.

The DSF will be hosting outreach webinars with members on the indicator development starting from the 3^rd week of April and also a dedicated half day session, facilitated by Dr Marty Matlock to collectively evolve the indicator metrics at the DSF members meeting on 15^th May.

Please contact the DSF secretariat for more information as we move through this progressive process.

To demonstrate the dairy sector’s continuous improvement, when joining the DSF members must commit to annual reporting on any initiatives covering the 11 Global Criteria.

Charlie Purcell, a member of the DSF Secretariat is currently reaching out to all Implementing and Aggregate members to support them with this process. Let us know if you need our help or if you have any challenges with meeting the reporting deadline of 31 March.

Charlie is an Origin Green Ambassador (Ireland’s food and drink sustainability programme) and is working with the DSF until June 2018 to assist with the evolution of the DSF reporting program. He will also be attending the DSF members meeting in Chicago in May.

Frank van Ooijen has been appointed the new Director General for the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform. Frank also joins the DSF Governor’s group, replacing Peter Erik Ywema, to whom we express our thanks for his dedication and support from the very beginning of the DSF.

Frank is not a stranger to the DSF having been connected through his previous role at FrieslandCampina. We look forward to working with Frank as the DSF continues to go from strength to strength and will appreciate drawing on his vast experience through the guidance he will provide on increasing the effectiveness of the DSF s strategic communications.

In its second year of operation Dairy Asia has some great achievements to its credit. The report details the activities that have taken place at all levels, from sharing plans to developing strategies together, to taking action and making progress on the ground. From working in isolation to collaboration. From sharing knowledge to driving research and development, to publishing working papers.

The DSF has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Dairy Asia and work closely together to enhance the sustainability of dairy production.

The report also profiles the winner of the Dairy Sustainability Award 2017 - NDDB India’s Ration Balancing Programme. A representative from the programme will be attending the the DSF members meeting in Korea in October 2018

You can see the full report here

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