Dairy cooperative Arla Foods is calling on young people in the UK to enter the farming industry in the next decade to help it reach its carbon targets.
The call comes as the company’s new research shows that 33% of young people don’t know much about the job of a farmer and 32% of young people want a job that plays a part in the tackling of climate change.
The dairy cooperative said that, as a major employer, it understands that it needs to play a part in attracting the next generation into the farming industry to “help deliver future changes”.
Director of UK agriculture at the company, Paul Savage, said: “Today, our farmer owners are dedicated to continuing their progress to meet the cooperative’s climate targets of reducing emissions on farms by 30% by 2030.
“However, 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.”
Gen Z ‘knowledge gap’
Savage said that there is a “knowledge gap” within Generation Z (Gen Z) Brits, and they show a misunderstanding towards what it means to be a farmer and the role farmers are trying to play in the fight against climate change.
When asked about the role of dairy farmers in tackling climate change, 45% of 18-24-year-olds were unaware that today’s dairy farmers are working hard to lower climate emissions, Arla said.
67% were also unaware that farmers focus on using technology to gather and analyse data in a bid to improve the sustainability of their farms; 40% of young people want a job that is analytical.
“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,” he said.
“There is clearly a knowledge gap within Gen Z Brits, and it’s our job at Arla, alongside the government, to ensure there are enough future farmers in place to help drive the changes that will help the industry meet its climate commitments.”
Arla said it will be turning its attention towards the UK government and calling on it to join with the industry in encouraging more young Brits to consider a career in agriculture.
