Although we're already a good month into the new year, I would still like to wish you all the very best and good health for 2023. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all EMB members who supported my election as President of the European Milk Board at the General Assembly in December 2022. I will do my utmost to defend the values and vision of our organisation, starting with this contribution to our bimonthly newsletter.

Every year holds a new set of challenges and 2023 will be no different. The mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions will likely be costly for dairy farmers, and yet the new CAP takes even more money away from us, leaving little scope for mitigation measures. As you all know, the end of 2020 saw the adoption of the EU’s European Climate Law as part of the European Green Deal, which defines more ambitious climate targets for 2030. By then, greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by 55% compared to 1990. In order to reach these goals, agriculture will have to contribute to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, but the cost increase this means for dairy farmers leaves little leeway for our colleagues to become greener.

Recently, in Denmark, the new CAP reform was translated in new rules and regulations for farmers. As a result, dairy farmers are losing payments from milk production and the slaughter of young bulls, steers, heifers and cows. The latter compensations are replaced by a coupled payment in a range between 16 to 20­­ euros per cow and per year. For Denmark, this payment has been set at 18 euros per cow and per year. In addition, dairy farmers must ensure that 4% of their land is untilled, for example fallow surfaces, field edges, small biotopes and field shrubs.

Farmers can apply for various agricultural schemes such as planting environmentally and climate-friendly grass, varying their crops (beets, pulses, potatoes, etc.), enhancing biodiversity and sustainability on their farms (having more untilled land than the mandatory minimum of 4%), practicing extensification through yearly cuts (this only applies to peaty soils) and supporting organic farming practices.

The difficulty for many dairy farmers lies in the fact that pasture areas will shrink by at least 4%, while the standard admissible amount of phosphorus excreted by a dairy cow has increased by 9%, regardless of the feed ration. The upper limit of phosphorus that may be used per hectare makes things even more difficult in Denmark. It often excludes the use of starter P-fertilizer for sprouting maize plants, weakening them at their early stage and rendering them more vulnerable to various challenges. The expected decrease in yield per hectare, which inevitably impacts farmers’ income, has yet to be addressed by policy makers.

This newsletter features a number of contributions that explore the topic of the European Green Deal, alongside other articles on recurring topics such as the milk price and GMO-free milk. We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.

Kjartan Poulsen, EMB president