Program Overview

Towards Net-Zero Dairy Supply Chains

This course offers knowledge, tools, network, and inspiration to address the challenge of lowering carbon footprint in the dairy industry. It is organized by Wageningen Academy and sponsored by Interfood.

Organized by

• Wageningen Academy

Date and Duration

• Date: Mon 2 June 2025 until Fri 6 June 2025
• Duration: 5 days on-site (2 days Wageningen Campus, 3 days Leeuwarden Dairy Campus)

Number of Students and Price

• Number of students: 15 - 40
• Price: EUR 3,680.00
• Price description: This covers course materials, lunches, 2 mutual dinners, refreshments, transport Leeuwarden-Wageningen, and transport to the field visits. Accommodation and travel are not included.

Target Audience

This course is open to professionals working in the dairy supply chain with some theoretical knowledge about sustainability challenges, including:

• Sustainability officers in processing companies and retailers
• Dairy farmers wanting to adopt more sustainable practices
• Advisors in cooperatives or feed companies
• Implementing-level policy makers (provinces, water boards, and municipalities)
• Sustainability managers and CSR advisors from trade associations and industry organizations
• Consultants and other advisors in this sector
• Financial officers and others working in close relation with companies in the dairy sector

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this program, participants will be able to:

• Describe how and where CO2 (and other greenhouse gases) emissions occur in the dairy chain
• Analyze how to reduce emissions hotspots
• Explore the practical implications of innovations that contribute towards NetZero, inspired by real cases
• Engage with different stakeholder perspectives on this issue
• Apply the obtained insights to identify opportunities and collaborate on how to reduce carbon emissions in their own work practice (in the dairy chain)

Programme

This course consists of several days of lectures and field visits (farms/processing plants). Throughout the course, there will be group work and an individual assignment to help participants develop a course of action for their own organization. The main topics covered will be 'Dairy Processing and emission reduction', 'Farm & Feed Management', and 'Animal & Manure Management'.

Certification

Based on attendance, participants will receive a certificate after the program is finished.

Coordinated by

• ir. CWRM (Kees) Kaffka, Program manager Continuing Education
• ir. JH (Jan Hendrik) Mica MSc, Project manager sustainable dairy/veal farming and value chain

Programme Development

This program is developed in cooperation with Interfood, a family-owned global dairy solutions provider committed to a sustainable food future. Interfood has a 50-year legacy, distributes over 1.1 million MT of products annually, and serves over 3,000 partners across 100+ countries.