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Arla Foods says it aims to cut 25% of its current greenhouse gas emissions from its entire production and distribution cycle by 2020.

Concerns over the environmental impacts of food and beverage manufacture from both governments and environmental groups, has led to processors having to reduce output of waste and green house gas emissions.

Group CEO Peter Tuborgh said the company's plan, which will target a variety of areas of its operations from the farmyard through to distribution, was an ambitious long-term strategy."We don't have all the answers yet, but we're sending out a strong signal now to employees and business partners that, as a major company, we take our greenhouse gas emissions very seriously," he said. "We want to offer customers and consumers more climate friendly products and contribute to national and international climate targets."

According to its own estimates, the company's present greenhouse gas emissions are about 1.5 million tons a year from its combined production, transportation and packaging operations. Arla Foods said that its position as a dairy cooperative therefore put it in a strong position to adapt emissions at all levels of the dairy value chain.

As part of the sustainability drive, Tuborgh said the company will focus particularly on encouraging research in its three core markets within Europe.

"As a Danish-Swedish cooperative, Arla is able to focus on the whole value chain from cow to consumer," he added. "To this end, Arla Foods intends to actively support and cooperate with organisations within the company's three home markets: Sweden, Denmark, and the UK."