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Arrabawn places a strong emphasis on environmental responsibility, implementing sustainable practices and programmes across its operations. Animal welfare and sustainable farming methods are among the key priorities, ensuring the health and well-being of dairy herds while minimising the environmental impact.
Arrabawn is also dedicated to supporting local farmers and communities on their sustainability journey. It works closely with its network of dairy farmers, providing them with resources and supports, including through a range of programmes, to maintain high standards of quality and sustainability in parallel.
Overall, Arrabawn is very much recognised for its commitment to producing high quality dairy products in an environmentally responsible and socially conscious manner, making it a trusted choice for consumers domestically and internationally. As part of its ongoing sustainability focus, Arrabawn has engaged external experts to measure its Carbon Footprint since 2022 to inform its decarbonisation strategy moving forward. The metric is underscoring the Co-op’s performance in this key area, already revealing a decrease in Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2.2% from 2022 to 2023. Carbon abatement was most significant in direct emissions, with a decrease of 9.5% in Scope 1 (direct emissions from our own activity) and 7.5% in Scope 2 (electricity we purchase).
Emission Source
2022 (tCO2-e)
2023 (tCO2-e)
Decrease (%)
Scope 1
30,484
27,585
9.5%
Scope 2
10,238
9,475
7.5%
Scope 3
443,195
436,032
1.6%
Total tCO2-e
483,917
473,092
2.2%
The improvement in emissions reduction showcases Arrabawn’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. The ongoing survey illustrates also that 89% of our total emissions occurs on the farm, yet the average for Arrabawn suppliers is below the national average.
To help make further inroads here, Arrabawn has developed a sustainability farm strategy for its milk suppliers to help further reduce indirect emissions over time as part of the organisation’s decarbonisation efforts. Enhancing our sustainability is a Co-Op wide effort, from our suppliers to our staff and our facilities. We appreciate the efforts of all on this collective journey.
The SDAS is the a national dairy scheme that sets out requirements for best practice on Irish dairy farms in animal health and welfare, land management, biosecurity, safe-farming practices and the production of safe milk. The Bord Bia Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme was developed in cooperation with milk producers, processors and regulatory authorities. It also provides a framework for measuring the continuous improvement of each participating farmer, recording and monitoring sustainability credentials at farm level.
Farm by farm, we are measuring and improving.
Now being implemented on effectively all Arrabawn’s dairy farms, the Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme is a rigorous, independently verified and internationally accredited programme. (European Standard for Product Certification – ISO 17065: 2012)
With our temperate climate and plentiful rainfall, Ireland is naturally suited to sustainable dairy farming. Our dairy cows have the freedom to graze outdoors for up to 270 days a year.
Our grass-based production system puts Ireland and Arrabawn on an ideal footing as we set out on our sustainability journey. Ireland already has the most carbon efficient dairy production within the EU, while our water footprint and water stress index compare favourably to that of other countries. (Source: EU JRC Report 2010)
In fact, 80% of Ireland’s agricultural land is devoted to grasslands, with a yearly grass growth rate that exceeds the European average by more than a third. Grazing on such rich pastureland, our cows produce milk of the highest quality and, of course, healthy calves. These newborn calves also benefit from the fact that Irish dairy farmers strategically plan their calving to make the most of the seasonal increase in grass growth.
Origin Green is Ireland’s national contract with nature – the country’s comprehensive and evidence-based sustainability programme.
Arrabawn Ingredients are proud to be a verified member of the programme, the only sustainability programme in the world that operates on a national scale, uniting government, the private sector and food producers through Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board.
At Arrabawn, we are committed to sustainability and continuous improvement across our business. We are proud to announce that since achieving ISO50001 certification in 2020, we’ve made significant strides in reducing our carbon footprint and enhancing energy efficiency.