Emissions from 13 dairy firms match those of entire UK, says report [View all]

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Source: The Guardian

Emissions from 13 dairy firms match those of entire UK, says report

Exclusive: Milk giants’ climate impact rising and production caps needed, say researchers

Damian Carrington Environment editor
@dpcarrington
Mon 15 Jun 2020 07.01 BST

The biggest dairy companies in the world have the same combined greenhouse gas emissions as the UK, the sixth biggest economy in the world, according to a new report.

The analysis shows the impact of the 13 firms on the climate crisis is growing, with an 11% increase in emissions in the two years after the 2015 Paris climate change agreement, largely due to consolidation in the sector. Scientific reports have shown that consumption of dairy, as well as meat, must be reduced significantly in rich nations to tackle the climate emergency.

The report, by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) in the US, also says the growth of giant dairy companies has helped force milk prices below the cost of production for the last decade, causing a crisis in rural livelihoods and requiring taxpayer subsidies to keep farmers afloat. The researchers say caps on production should be reintroduced to protect both the climate and small farmers.

“Unlike growing public scrutiny on fossil fuel companies, little public pressure exists to hold global meat and dairy corporations accountable for their emissions,” said Shefali Sharma, European director at IATP and report author. “Few of these companies are even reporting their emissions.”

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/15/emissions-from-13-dairy-firms-match-those-of-entire-uk-says-report