Milking the planet: big dairy’s contribution to the climate crisis and the destruction of rural communities

Dairy emissions increased 11% in the 2 years following the 2015 Paris Climate agreement, according to a report by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).

The IATP calls for a dismantling of the subsidies to big dairy which encourage overproduction, pollution and environmental degradation. New trade and agriculture policies are needed to reduce emissions, rebuild soils, encourage agroecology and biodiversity and reinvigorate rural communities.

The report notes that the health of the planet and the social and economic needs of rural communities are intertwined.

“Governments must begin to address both the rural and climate crises associated with the dairy sector by listening to rural communities about their economic and social needs. Fewer and much larger mega-dairies are flooding the market, pushing out small to mid-sized dairies and hurting rural economies. There is growing support for supply management, a crucial policy that could address dairy’s twin crises. Supply management schemes prevent overproduction, balance supply and demand and stabilise prices.”

Read the full report here