ALDI SÜD Group and FrieslandCampina have launched a multiyear partnership to support more than 60 dairy farmers in Germany and the Netherlands with regenerative agriculture and on-farm emissions reductions. The initiative combines a three-year German programme for soil health, biodiversity and water stewardship with a five-year Dutch carbon reduction programme. Participating farms will receive tailored advice, training and financial support as they introduce measures suited to their individual operations. Expansion of both programmes is planned from 1 January 2027, placing practical farm investment at the centre of the partners’ dairy supply chain ambitions.
Programmes Across Two Countries
The partnership begins with 30 FrieslandCampina member dairy farms in Germany and 32 in the Netherlands. In Germany, the initial programme has been running since 1 September 2026 and is intended to grow to 40 farms at the start of 2027. Its focus is on strengthening farm resilience while helping producers reduce inputs and make measurable environmental improvements.
Each German farm will work through a tailored transition plan based on its own opportunities for improvement. Measures can include grass-clover rotations with less fertiliser, improved soil structure and planting hedges. The programme follows the outcome-based Regenerating Together framework of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform, providing a structured basis for continuous on-farm progress.
Albert Stegemann, FrieslandCampina member dairy farmer in Germany, said:
“Farmers are constantly looking for ways to improve our farms for future generations. Having access to practical tools, knowledge, and financial support helps us take meaningful steps forward and creating positive outcomes for both our farm and the environment. Support from across the dairy chain gives us the confidence to invest in changes that strengthen our farm for the long term.”
Reducing Farm Emissions
In the Netherlands, the five-year carbon reduction programme is supporting participating farms with measures including improved feed and manure management, alongside on-farm use of HVO renewable diesel. These actions sit on top of work already undertaken through Foqus Planet, FrieslandCampina’s quality and sustainability programme.
The programme is designed to help dairy farmers identify and implement emissions-reduction measures within their own farm systems. By pairing financial support with practical advice and training, the partners are seeking to make changes workable for productive, economically viable dairy businesses as well as environmentally beneficial.
Anke Ehlers, International Sustainability Officer at the ALDI SÜD Group, said:
“Our new Force for Good strategy is about turning ambition into action, and real change requires collaboration across the supply chain. Together with FrieslandCampina, we’re helping participating farmers improve soil health, reduce emissions, strengthen resilience, and advance regenerative agriculture. Our aim is to turn progress on farms into wider change across the food system, strengthening the long-term resilience of dairy supply chains and our ability to offer high-quality, affordable dairy products”
Support For Farm Resilience
The partnership brings together ALDI SÜD Group’s investment and long-term commitment with FrieslandCampina’s dairy expertise and established relationships with its member farmers. Its dual focus reflects the day-to-day connection between soil, feed, manure, energy use and farm economics, while giving individual farms scope to adopt measures appropriate to their circumstances.
For the German participants, improvements to soil health, biodiversity and water stewardship are central to the programme. In the Netherlands, the emphasis is on cutting greenhouse gas emissions through interventions that can be incorporated into existing dairy operations. Both strands are intended to support resilient farming practices while maintaining the productive role of participating farms.
Mireille Einwachter, Chief Farm & Sustainability Officer at FrieslandCampina, said:
“Farmers are at the heart of the transition towards more resilient, sustainable, and lower-emission dairy farming. But the transition cannot be realised by farmers alone: it requires long-term commitment and investment across the value chain. Together with the ALDI SÜD Group, we are turning shared ambitions into action by combining sustainability objectives, commercial investment and practical support for farmers.”
A Shared Dairy Chain Commitment
ALDI SÜD Group and FrieslandCampina intend to share insights and learnings from the programmes across the dairy sector, encouraging broader uptake of approaches that prove effective. The longer-term ambition is to bring more industry partners into efforts to build a more resilient, lower-emission dairy farming system.
The initiative offers a substantial example of retailer and processor collaboration directed towards the farm level. With more than 60 farmers involved at launch and further expansion planned, it creates a practical route for testing how investment, technical knowledge and training can support regenerative agriculture and emissions reduction across dairy supply chains.
