First Milk reports biggest annual cut in farm carbon intensity

First Milk has reported its biggest annual reduction in farm carbon intensity, cutting the figure by 8.2% as regenerative farming expands across almost its entire farmer membership.

The farmer-owned co-operative said average carbon intensity fell from 1.13 to 1.04kg CO2e per kg of fat and protein-corrected milk in the year to 31 March 2026, putting the figure 15% below its 2021 baseline.

More than 96% of First Milk farmers are now participating in its regenerative farming programme, covering 99,206 hectares.

Members have identified 342,613 regenerative actions and interventions within their farm plans, including measures focused on soil health, plant diversity, watercourse protection and biodiversity.

First Milk is now placing greater emphasis on whether those activities are producing measurable environmental outcomes rather than simply recording the actions farmers take.

Early results from its soil carbon re-measurement programme with Agricarbon are showing increases in soil carbon, with higher levels of regenerative activity associated with greater gains. Further results are expected in the coming months.

Farm Carbon Toolkit modelling separately estimates that regenerative interventions planned by members for 2026 could sequester 264,828 tonnes of CO2e, compared with 231,141 tonnes estimated from interventions reported in 2025.

First Milk stressed that the sequestration figures are modelled estimates rather than direct measurements, drawing a distinction between projected outcomes and changes being measured through the Agricarbon programme.

The co-operative is also working with the Carbon Trust to develop a Science Based Targets initiative roadmap, while a partnership with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology is examining practical ways of directly measuring biodiversity on working dairy farms.

Water management is another area of focus, with water-risk mapping rolled out across all First Milk farms. The approach combines environmental mapping with nutrient-footprinting data to identify where interventions could have the greatest impact on protecting water quality.

Animal welfare work has also expanded during the year. First Milk introduced a new Animal Welfare Policy, delivered practical training on low-stress cattle handling and trialled AI-enabled monitoring to provide objective data on cow behaviour and welfare outcomes.

Across the wider business, net greenhouse gas emissions fell by 3.8%, while all purchased electricity came from certified renewable sources.

First Milk chief executive Shelagh Hancock said: “Our regenerative farming programme is about much more than carbon – encompassing soil health, water quality, nature and biodiversity.”

She added: “We’re increasingly focused on building the evidence behind this work, moving beyond measuring what farmers do to better understand and demonstrate the outcomes those actions deliver.”

The average Regen Score across participating farms reached a record 66, more than double the level recorded when the programme began five years ago.

First Milk also successfully recertified as a B Corp, completed more than 8,000 hours of colleague training and raised more than £17,000 for Prostate Cancer UK during the year.

Further soil carbon results are due in the coming months, providing another test of whether the large number of regenerative actions recorded across member farms is translating into measurable environmental gains.