First sustainability standard for national dairy farms in Chile

The First Sustainability Standard for National Dairy Farms is a management tool designed to promote more sustainable practices in dairy production in Chile. Developed by the Dairy Consortium under the Chile Origen Consciente program, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and IICA, this standard covers social, environmental and economic aspects, organized into 10 priority areas, including soil management, water, biodiversity, animal welfare, and economic management. The main objective is to identify, implement and certify good practices that promote sustainability in dairy production, offering producers the flexibility to choose the actions most appropriate to their production reality to add points and obtain certification. The standard is made up of 156 actions, classified into levels of complexity (basic, initial, intermediate, advanced) and based on their impact on farm sustainability. Producers who already have the PABCO bovine A certification can start with a base of 130 points. Certification is granted for one, two or three years, depending on the total score obtained, and producers receive technical support during the certification process. In addition, a system of audits and periodic recertification is established to ensure continued compliance with the actions implemented.