Four years into the KlimaStaR Milk resource project, participating dairy farms have made substantial progress in reducing feed-food competition and improving resource efficiency, according to a project update. The initiative, launched in 2022 by Emmi, Nestlé, aaremilch, ZMP, and AgroCleanTech with support from the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions and competition for feed-food and land by 20% each by 2027. As of the end of 2025, 219 farms producing around 73 million kilograms of milk annually were involved.
The fourth-year results show that feed-food competition has dropped by approximately 23% since the project began, already exceeding the original 20% target. Land competition has also fallen by 15% below the baseline. These gains mean farms are producing more milk and animal protein on the same or only slightly larger area. Progress has been especially pronounced in valley zones. Greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of milk have been reduced by about 8% on a relative basis, with farms cutting emissions by 66 grams of CO2 equivalents per kilogram in 2025. Although absolute emissions rose slightly due to higher overall production, they remained lower than they would have been without the measures. Extrapolated across the 73 million kilograms of milk produced, this equates to a reduction of nearly 5,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
The project's findings are now paving the way for broader application. The industry organisation Milch (BOM) has developed a climate calculator, available to all Swiss milk producers since July 2026, allowing farms to assess their greenhouse gas emissions and feed-food competition and identify optimisation measures. By using the methods developed in the project, the dairy industry is laying the foundation for applying the progress achieved at national level, beyond the project farms. This supports the Federal Council's objectives for Swiss agriculture up to 2050, which include more climate-friendly production and increased use of grass and by-products from food production.
For detailed results, the Media release as PDF is available, and further information can be found on the KlimaStaR Milk website (in German). Additional resources, including various KlimaStaR Milk documents: images, video testimonials and animated infographics, are also provided. The original release can be viewed on www.newmediawire.com.
In the remaining two years of the project, farms will receive individual guidance and tailored advice to exploit further reduction potential. Farms that have already significantly lowered emissions while reducing competition for feed-food and land are sharing their experiences with other participants. The project's success demonstrates that targeted changes in milk production systems can deliver environmental benefits without compromising productivity, offering a model for other agricultural sectors.
