ALDI supports Friesland­Campina dairy farmers in further effort for biodiversity

ALDI and FrieslandCampina share the ambition to promote sustainability within the dairy chain. Together with 43 Dutch member dairy farmers, they started the 'Herb-rich Grassland' project. Within this project, 80 hectares of pasture will be sown with a mix of various types of grass and herbs. Herb-rich grasslands are attractive to many species of insects and meadow birds and thus contribute to improving biodiversity.

The Herb-rich Grassland project fits well with the sustainability ambitions of ALDI and FrieslandCampina. "A large part of our dairy and cheese range is On the way to PlanetProof-certified. We are now looking at even more opportunities to contribute to making the dairy chain more sustainable," said Wouter Lefevere, Managing Director Category Management at ALDI in the Netherlands. "A great, new initiative is the creation of additional herb-rich grassland in cooperation with FrieslandCampina's dairy farmers. We are supporting them for five years to sow a few hectares of their land with a mix of various types of grass and herbs. A total of 80 hectares of herb-rich grassland will be created. That is equal to the total area of all ALDI branches and distribution centers in the Netherlands."

Dustin Woodward, Managing Director, FrieslandCampina Netherlands: "We are pleased that our partner ALDI is investing in supporting our member dairy farmers to further improve biodiversity in the countryside. Collaborations like this, in which producer, retailer and farmer jointly invest in a sustainable future, make all the difference. We look forward to the results, and hope that this collaboration will also inspire other parties to work with us towards more biodiversity and a more sustainable dairy chain."

About the Herb-rich Grassland project

The project has a duration of five years. In the run-up to the project, ALDI held talks with the Land- en Tuinbouworganisatie Nederland (LTO) and the Nederlands Agrarisch Jongeren Kontakt (NAJK). Dairy farmers applied for participation in the project via melkweb, FrieslandCampina's member website. Coverage across the Netherlands was one of the criteria in the selection of the participants for the project. Participating dairy farmers receive compensation from ALDI for the construction and effort. The pastures are sown with grass and herbs in August and September.