We have good opportunities to promote biodiversity in our long value chain from farms to consumers. Biodiversity is part of our responsibility program.
Meat production requires the use of land for growing feed crops and grazing, and the use of fertilisers and livestock manure contributes to the eutrophication of water bodies. We are committed to increasing biodiversity in our food chain. For example, efficient water use and careful wastewater treatment support biodiversity. A key element in our biodiversity work is engaging contract farms in cooperation through regenerative farming methods and measures to reduce nutrient loading into water.
We promote biodiversity through regenerative farming practices, responsible sourcing, efficient water use and wastewater treatment, as well as research projects. We engage in long-term cooperation with contract producers to develop and test more sustainable practices for different stages of the food chain.
Responsibility Programme 2026–2028 targets
| Programme target | Indicator | Target year |
| BIODIVERSITY | ||
| A more extensive and systematic survey of the environmental impact of primary production by introducing an environmental impact calculation system on broiler, pig and cattle farms | The environmental impact calculation of primary production covers > 80% of the procurement volumes of broiler, pig and cattle (Calculated based on settlement kilograms. Includes a biodiversity coefficient for broilers and pigs, and eutrophication and acidification impact factors for cattle) |
2028 |
| Assessment of the agricultural water pollution load from contract farms and reduction of its impacts in the Archipelago Sea catchment area | The measures are progressing on the pilot farms in accordance with the plan prepared for the years 2026–2028 | 2028 |
| Operating in accordance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR): raw materials that have caused deforestation or degraded the condition of forests are not used in production | 100% of the products covered by the regulation meet its requirements. The timetable is determined by the date on which the regulation enters into force. (At HKFoods, this applies to beef, soy, palm oil, wood and rubber, as well as products made from these materials) |
We digitize environmental impact calculation in primary production
Our environmental impact calculation system for primary production helps us understand the factors that pose the greatest threat to biodiversity, enabling us to target the right actions to improve responsibility at farms. Our system includes a biodiversity coefficient for broiler and pork, as well as eutrophication and acidification impacts for beef.
We have developed our primary production environmental impact calculation system by digitizing the lifecycle models of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) for pork, poultry, and field crops. The system enables continuous calculation of water and carbon footprints and biodiversity impacts of primary production, as well as more reliable reporting. Farms can review their main climate impacts in the producer portal and receive recommendations for reducing emissions.
In addition, we have taken into use a carbon footprint calculation model for the cattle chain. Valio’s Carbo® Environment Calculator is a tool developed for assessing environmental impacts in the Finnish dairy and meat sector, providing Finnish dairy and meat producers with a common national standard for the carbon footprint calculation.
Water protection in the Archipelago Sea catchment area
Some of our farms are located in the Archipelago Sea catchment area in Finland, where we aim to help reduce agricultural nutrient leakage into waterways together with our contract farms. We have mapped farms in the area and actions to prevent eutrophication. In our Responsibility Programme 2026–2028, we promote measures in the catchment area in line with the water protection action plan with selected broiler and pig farms.
Sustainability certified soy
Most of the feed used in our value chain for raising animals is locally grown grain and forage. Soy is used in poultry and pork feed. In Finland, only sustainability certified soy is used, and we aim to increasingly replace soy with domestic protein sources.
Through the implementation of our procurement principles, we aim to reduce the impacts of raw material production on biodiversity loss. Using sustainability certified soy and palm oil ensures that the raw material production chain is responsible and that producers are audited.
The upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation applies to our beef products, soy, palm oil, and wood-based products. We must ensure that our beef products comply with the regulation and have not been produced on land subject to deforestation. We are responsible for managing traceability data for beef, soy, palm oil, and wood-based products in line with due diligence obligations.
