Tomorrow’s Dairy: program for a resilient dairy sector
Dairy farming in Europe is under growing pressure from climate targets, changing regulations, and volatile costs. For dairy farmers, this means uncertainty about their income, both now and in the future. It also makes it harder for them to invest. Companies that process milk and buyers of dairy products have less certainty about milk supply and find it more difficult to meet evolving market and regulatory expectations.
To better cope with this pressure, farmers need to adapt their on-farm practices. But they also need financing solutions that better align with changes across the dairy value chain without placing risk predominantly on farmers.
A healthier earning model
Tomorrow’s Dairy is a program developed by Nestlé together with dairy processors, including Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods. The goal is to support the transition towards more resilient dairy production, so that the sector is better equipped to handle major challenges. The program works with price incentives: when farmers implement measurable on-farm practices to improve their business, they receive a better price for their milk. This creates a clearer business case for farmers to invest over time, knowing it pays to invest.
The focus of the program is on practical, farm-level measures, supported by monitoring and data. The program is introduced step by step to allow farmers to adopt changes at a pace that fits their operations and financial position.
Our role
Rabobank is a financing partner within the Tomorrow’s Dairy program. We support farmers with financing solutions tailored to their business. By linking credit conditions with the program’s incentive structure, we ensure that dairy farmers are able to invest while keeping their business financially viable.
By connecting financing to long-term income perspectives rather than short-term targets, Rabobank supports a more predictable investment environment for dairy farmers and processors involved in the program.
Improved predictability
Tomorrow’s Dairy is for businesses across Nestlé’s European dairy supply chain. The program brings together farming practices, pricing incentives, and financing. For participating farmers, this provides clearer investment signals and improved income predictability. For processors and buyers, it supports supply stability in a sector under structural pressure.
By aligning incentives and finance, the program demonstrates how collaboration can strengthen resilience in dairy production while preserving economic sustainability at farm level.