
A Welsh farming family has made significant strides in reducing the environmental impact of their dairy farm business, achieving an impressive carbon footprint of 1.06kg CO2 equivalent (CO2e) per kg of FPCM (fat and protein corrected milk).
Roger and Catherine Howells of Blaengelli Farm, Whitland, credit the achievement to years of steady investment in infrastructure and a dedication to maintaining high levels of animal welfare.
Their journey towards sustainability continues to evolve. Recently, the Howells’ participated in further baselining activity through Soil Association Exchange, funded by Lloyds Banking Group. The assessment provided a holistic view of the farm’s environmental performance, examining six key areas: soil, biodiversity, animal welfare, water, carbon and social impact; helping the family identify areas for further improvement.
“As part of our contract with our milk processor, we’ve taken part in sustainability audits for the past five years, so we’re pretty well versed in this area,” explains Roger.
“However, we saw this as an opportunity to build a full picture of the farm and thought it might support us in looking more closely at our soil health. We knew the assessment looked at soil pH, phosphate and potash alongside copper and magnesium levels, which we hadn’t done before,” he says.
As part of the audit process each farm receives a tailored action plan to guide producers towards identifying where environmental gains and operational efficiencies can be made. Farms are also signposted to further funding options for taking up certain environmental improvements.
The Howells’ scored highly on animal welfare due to their keen focus on herd management and disease prevention.
Sadly, a recent TB outbreak has forced the family to keep double the number of youngstock to replace lost animals, which has doubled their replacement rate from 25% to 50%. The increase in methane emissions because of this has resulted in CO2e emissions rising to 1.27kg of CO2e/kg of FPCM.
Despite this, they are determined to continue making gains in other areas. These include introducing clover to reduce nitrogen inputs, applying farmyard manure to low-phosphate fields, and planting deeper-rooting grasses and legumes to boost soil organic matter and carbon capture. Low worm counts revealed that the pH also needed to be raised on some fields to improve fertiliser efficiency.
“We’ve already started applying farmyard manure to low phosphate and potash fields to correct indices and plan to apply lime to fields that weren’t at the optimum pH at the time of testing,” says Roger.
Blaengelli Farm’s achievements are part of a wider effort by Lloyds Banking Group to support farmers in transitioning to more sustainable practices. By funding over 80% of the farms participating in the Soil Association Exchange assessment, the bank is helping to establish a baseline for environmental improvements in UK agriculture.
Lee Reeves, UK Head of Agriculture at Lloyds Bank, said:
“The partnership between Lloyds Banking Group and the Soil Association Exchange is the most ambitious of its kind, focusing on building a holistic view of farming’s environmental impact.
“By providing farmers with the tools and finance they need, we’re helping the sector to adapt during a great time of change.”