Arla is encouraging young Brits to consider a career in farming in order to help the industry reach carbon emission targets
More young people should enter farming in the next decade to help the industry meet its carbon targets, the UK’s biggest dairy company has said.
Arla has made the call following its new research showing that nearly 40% of young Brits want a job that’s analytical, but 33% don’t know much about the job of a farmer.
A quarter of those surveyed said they were looking for something that includes scientific testing, and 32% want a job that plays a part in tackling climate change.
When asked about the role dairy farmers play in tackling the climate crisis, nearly half of 18–24-year-olds weren’t aware that farmers are working toward lowering emissions.
In fact, 67% said they didn't know that farmers spend most of their time using technology to gather and analyse data, working to improve the sustainability of their farms, and taking a data-led approach to the work they do.
As a major employer in the dairy industry, Arla said that the next generation of farmers were needed to help deliver future changes.
Paul Savage, director of UK agriculture at the co-op, said there was 'clearly a knowledge gap' within young Brits.
"Sustainability is also about ensuring a sustainable workforce for the future and that is why we need our younger generation to step-up and consider a future in dairy to help drive the changes we’ve already identified.
“Our research shows that over two thirds of 18–24-year-olds think it’s important that farmers use renewable energy technologies.
"But nearly half of those surveyed were unaware that solar panels and wind turbines can already be found on many farms and often have the capacity to generate enough energy to export to power homes in the local area."
Farmers who supply Arla are currently working toward the co-operative’s climate targets of reducing emissions on farms by 30% by 2030.
Arla’s emissions come from five key areas: farming, which accounts for 83% of emissions, production (4%), packaging (2%), logistics and transport (2%), and other areas (9%).