Food Chain - Issue 196 - October 2023 | Page 122

DN Agrar __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
carried out at other farms , which will supply most of the milking cows needed . Of course , it will also adhere to the strict focus on animal welfare and sustainable practices implemented at all DN Agrar sites .
“ We have full quality control over the welfare of our 12,000 animals ,” Peter confirms . “ There are constant discussions about the ethics of large farms and it ’ s something we ’ re very passionate about ; we believe that happy cows produce healthy milk .
Circular agriculture
“ We have extremely strict standards and have cameras in place across all our farms to monitor both living conditions and the behavior of our workforce . Also , all our young cattle roam the fields of Prodlact Farm freely . The farm is staffed with a dedicated team that ensure animals are treated with respect , receive quality feed , and are kept in hygienic , spacious conditions .
“ Business involves a consistent number of veterinarians in the field , who monitor our cows 24 hours a day , seven days a week ,” he explains . “ The vets use heat measurements to analyze the health of our cows and visit the milking parlors three times a day to check for potential medical issues .”
Moving towards the broader topic of sustainability , Peter is keen to share how the company is considering the ways in which it can reduce the environmental impact of its farming operations . “ The fact that agriculture has an impact on climate change is undeniable ,” he proposes . “ So , as an industry , we must strive to minimize the impact of our operations , and we ’ re doing that on our farms , which comprise almost 7000 hectares of agricultural land in the group , as well as 3000 hectares outside the group .
“ We embrace the concept of circular agriculture , using the manure from our cows to fertilize soil , for example . Having invested in numerous additional pipes last year , we recently purchased new machinery from the Netherlands to connect the pipes directly to the manure pool . This not only heavily reduces our reliance on chemical fertilizers , which is inevitably great for the environment , but also means we can produce fertilizer in-house rather than purchasing from an external source , so it ’ s good from a business perspective too .
“ We ’ ve also recently started work on constructing our own composting factory ,” Peter reveals . “ This will allow us to reuse some of our waste and again , produce materials in house . We also engage in secondary activities relating to cereal production , harvesting crops like wheat , corn , barley , soybeans , and sunflowers , which allows us to produce animal feed internally .”
Investing in growth
With a strong focus on efficiency and sustainability while still delivering high customer satisfaction , it is no surprise that DN Agrar is seeing exponential growth . “ It has been an amazing opportunity to play a vital role in shaping the company ’ s financial future – and even better to see such rewarding success in 2022 ,” Peter reflects .
“ Being one of the faces of the company is a huge responsibility , but one that has presented me with the chance to address change across the business , as well as contribute to some of the major global challenges we are currently facing around the globe .
“ We will continue to work sustainably with animal welfare at the forefront of our minds ,” he concludes . “ Although we ’ re happy with our growth rate , we ’ ll continue to make investments across the business , particularly in our farms , to enhance our efficiency and increase capacity .” ■
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