DSF in the US
DSF in the US
The DSF teamed up with the US Aggregating member for the DSF, the Innovation Center for US Dairy, to facilitate a meeting that fully explained the DSF model and how the US, as a committed member of the DSF, has current and planned work streams that align with the DSF requirements.
Some 28 individuals ranging from dairy producers and processors to retailers attended the meeting.
Presentations covered the DSF model and why such an initiative is required at a global and aggregate level, through to how the Innovation Centre work streams enable the US to report their progress at an aggregate level directly to the DSF.
A highlight of the meeting was a presentation from David Pendlington (Mars) on work commissioned by the DSF Governors, and being conducted by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Dairy Working Group, on how the DSF model (a pre-competitive and collaborative initiative) can potentially be utilized in a B2B process.
This piece of work is seeking input from a range of stakeholders and demonstrates the maturity of the sustainability discussion in the dairy sector. There is a visible acknowledgement of the need to move away from a ‘customer checking on the supplier’ approach to a partnership-based approach of buyers and producers agreeing that sustainability challenges are prioritized by a science-based materiality analysis, implemented by a management system. The big win here is it gives dairy producers confidence to focus on potential solutions, aligned with their customers, rather than being distracted and lost in audit fatigue.
The DSF looks forward to its continued working relationship with the US dairy sector through the excellent coordination efforts being provided by the Innovation Center. Importantly the US voice at the development table for activities such as the B2B model will be invaluable.