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Dairy sector backs global methane pledge

The New Zealand dairy sector is committed to playing its part to reduce global methane levels by 30 percent by 2030. Global methane does need to reduce and the dairy sector will do its fair share to reduce emissions alongside all sectors. However, DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle (pictured) says he wants farmers to know the pledge doesn’t mean dairy farming emissions need to reduce by 30 percent, and for the Government to acknowledge this. “New Zealand dairy is already the world’s most emissions-efficient dairy milk producer, and dairy farmers are continuing their work on-farm to reduce emissions,” says Dr Mackle. “Methane is derived from the energy, agriculture and waste sectors, and the pledge focuses on reducing methane from fossil fuels. New Zealand already has a robust 2030 methane target for agriculture in the Zero Carbon Act. The dairy sector and agritech companies have a lot of work underway to achieve it,” says Dr Mackle. Climate Change Minister James Shaw today announced at the UN climate change conference, COP26, that New Zealand is signing the global pledge led by the European Union and the United States. The pledge is clear it does not replace the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which dominate not only the overall level of warming but also the speed of warming. It also states a global methane reduction of 30 percent by 2030 has the potential to avoid 0.2 degrees Celsius of warming by 2050. The pledge focuses mainly on reducing methane from fossil fuels because the best least-cost opportunities exist there. It acknowledges agricultural methane and calls for technology innovation, incentives and partnerships in that sector. The new pledge is a collective target, rather than requiring each country to reduce overall methane emissions by 30 percent. “New Zealand already has a clear […]

Fonterra and Vitakey to enhance dairy’s contribution to health and wellness

Looking to a future where it is likely that many foods will be more valued for their specific health benefits, Fonterra and VitaKey Inc. has announced a transformative dairy science collaboration to further unlock the benefits of Fonterra’s probiotic strains. VitaKey specialises in precision delivery of nutrition – an emerging area of research that seeks to deliver the right nutrients, in the right amount, to the right part of the body at the right time. Co-founded by Dr. Robert Langer, the VitaKey delivery technology platform for nutrients is based on technology licensed from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and developed at the Langer Lab, the largest academic biomedical engineering lab in the world. Utilising VitaKey’s proprietary technology and customised solutions, Fonterra is looking to design dairy products that incorporate targeted and time-controlled release of specific dairy nutrients, starting with probiotics, in a way that locks in the freshness for longer and allows the nutrients to be more active and beneficial in the body. Judith Swales, CEO for Fonterra’s Asia Pacific region, says the collaboration is part of Fonterra’s long-term strategy and ambition to be a leader in dairy innovation and nutrition science. “Our Co-op has a long and proud heritage of dairy innovation, pioneering many world firsts and, increasingly, new solutions which aim to help people live healthier and longer lives. “Home to one of the largest dairy culture libraries in the world, our Research and Development Centre contains more than 40,000 strains. Two of these strains, LactoB 001 and BifidoB 019, address key health concerns such as digestive issues and immunity and are recognised as being in the top five global probiotics. “By partnering with VitaKey, we aim to ‘make nature better’ by combining the goodness of our New Zealand milk with […]

New appointments at Asahi Beverages NZ support continued growth

Asahi Beverages NZ has appointed people into senior roles to support ongoing growth, build capability and provide opportunities for its people as it continues to invest in establishing itself as one of New Zealand’s leading beverages companies. CEO Andrew Campbell says the appointments reflect Asahi Beverages NZ is a growing business focused on delivering preferred alcohol and non-alcohol beverages to valued customers and consumers, as well as attracting and retaining great talent. “We’re excited to be welcoming new people to our team who bring with them outstanding, and in several cases, global experience to drive future growth.” Tom Robinson is among those joining the business in a newly-created role of GM Supply Chain based at Asahi Beverage’s Papakura manufacturing site. British-born Robinson is currently Plant Manager at Asahi Beverages’ Yatala Brewery on the Gold Coast, which is Australia’s largest brewery. A highly experienced and effective site GM, Robinson has run multiple brewing and cider making operations and held his role at Yatala for over 11 years. He was previously a Head of Manufacturing for Heineken based in the UK for four years. Robinson has also worked for leading UK brewers Scottish and Newcastle and has a degree in Chemical Engineering. He has commenced his new role remotely and will move to Auckland when the travel bubble between Queensland and Auckland reopens. Asahi Beverages NZ has also appointed Mark McGuire to the new role of NZ Capital Projects Manager responsible for the businesses’ supply chain function. McGuire has been with Asahi Beverages NZ for over 12 years and was previously Manufacturing Operations Manager.

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NZ start-up empowers Kiwis to grow-their-own vegetables

Kiwis keen to get their green fingers moving, save money and be more self-sufficient can start their own gardening journey thanks to an innovative seed delivery service and digital growing guide complete with a world-first rewards system. Topped off with a planting diary and an online marketplace to encourage collaboration and help Kiwis take small steps in their own backyard to reverse climate change, PlantMe.io is one-stop digital platform. “The idea is to encourage more people to get growing at home as meaningful climate action while also improving nutrition, health and wellness and your bank balance,” says PlantMe founder and CEO Fliss Roberts. “We’re building crypto rewards that will be a world-first in rewarding individuals for their climate action and bio-diversity restoration, and now we are inviting Kiwis to sign up to the platform and be citizen scientists to help us prove what’s possible and generate the data.” Wellington-based Fliss first had the idea for PlantMe at the end of 2018 to help individuals, families and the wider community start localising food and to make a collective impact on our bio-diversity and emissions. With an MBA in Sustainability, Fliss, who heads up Greenback, a female led green-tech start-up supporting collective climate action, got to work on building the PlantMe.io app. With the help of volunteer software developers, many fresh out of university and keen to apply their newly-learned skills to a business with a purpose, Fliss was able to launch PlantMe in 2019. PlantMe is inviting more Kiwis to sign up to have seeds delivered to their homes on a monthly, or quarterly, basis so they can grow their own fruit and vegetables with confidence. Subscribers are then supported on their gardening journey by digital growing guides, and seed choice is made depending on the recipient’s location to ensure optimal […]

Tourism reset would hurt agricultural exporters

The Government’s proposal to reduce future international tourism visitor numbers post-COVID to concentrate on higher spending visitors may solve one problem but create others. Research by Lincoln University’s Dr Rob Radics, Dr Muhammad Umar, and Associate Professor Anthony Brien, highlighted that most of our agricultural products delivered fresh to market are transported on passenger planes, and tourists contribute to the cost. The drop in tourism numbers could push up transport costs to the point some businesses do not export at all and are put out of business. Their work showed that before COVID-19 hit, there were 550 international flights into and out of New Zealand each week, which carried 80% of New Zealand’s overall export airfreight in their belly-holds, and that it was worth $10.8 billion in December 2019. Only 20% of New Zealand’s airfreight was carried by dedicated air cargo-only freighters. Before COVID-19, air freight was less than 1% of New Zealand’s total trade by volume, but about 16% in terms of dollar value. The report raised that the decision may show a lack of understanding of the inter-relatedness of industries. “What COVID-19 has highlighted is the not previously considered symbiotic relationship of some sectors of the New Zealand agriculture industry and tourism.” Transport costs have already gone up because of reduced flights, as In March 2020, COVID-19 bought tourism to a halt and reduced airfreight capacity. This resulted in an immediate increase in competition for freight space and the Government stepped in to fund additional dedicated airfreight cargo flights to ensure the export of perishable products. It initially funded 53 weekly flights to key export markets. By November 2020, airfreight flights (dedicated cargo and empty-of-passenger flights) had increased to 120 per week; however, export freight costs also increased as producers competed for space on flights. The top product […]

Delivering calm in the kitchen

Fonterra’s Foodservice business, Anchor Food Professionals (AFP), has reached a milestone to become a $3 billion NZD annual revenue business. Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell says the success is down to the Co-op’s strong connection to customers who value our sustainably produced, high-quality, nutritious milk and innovative products. “It’s really pleasing to see this milestone be reached despite the impact of COVID-19 on restaurants and other out-of-home eating. Our people have worked hard to find new ways of working with customers and new product applications to suit the pandemic environment, and we can see this has been a success. “Foodservice is a high value channel for our farmers’ milk and a key part of our long-term strategy. This is why we’re aiming to increase our milk solids into Foodservice by approximately 50% by 2030 and grow our presence across further markets including Greater China, South East Asia and the USA. “To support our Co-op’s growth to 2030, we intend to invest about $1 billion in moving milk into higher value products and increase our R&D budget by 50%. These investments will enable further product innovation in the Foodservice channel, among other things, and help put us on track to meet our next Foodservice target of becoming a $5 billion annual revenue business,” says Mr Hurrell. Fonterra’s Director Global Foodservice Paul Harvey says Anchor Food Professionals chefs works alongside customers in their kitchens to match their needs with our Co-op’s dairy innovation expertise. “To offer solutions we need to know what the problem is, and in many cases the issues are in the kitchen, and that’s where we are spending much more time with our customers who want our help. “We now have 55 chefs around the world who go into kitchens like this where […]

FarmIQ acquires Farmax in strategic partnership with AgResearch

Two leading agricultural software providers will join forces to create a value proposition for New Zealand’s pastoral farmers. FarmIQ Systems and Crown Research Institute (CRI) AgResearch have formed a strategic partnership with the acquisition of Farmax – a decision support tool for farmers. AgResearch will become a shareholder in FarmIQ Systems and FarmIQ’s preferred provider of science and research going forward. CEO of FarmIQ, Will Noble, said the partnership was long overdue as both organisations have shared the same vision for the agriculture sector since its inception from the Primary Growth Partnership in 2010. “If we want to become the leading decision support platform of choice for all pastoral farmers in New Zealand, then having AgResearch as a shareholder and the Farmax product to our whanau, brings with it strong industry credibility and a vast amount of science to our software – it’s incredibly exciting for our farming customers and the industry as a whole”. The agricultural ‘science’ integrated within Farmax makes it unique and has helped deliver real impact to the sector estimated to be $1.1 billion in increased gross margin over the last decade alone. AgResearch Director of Technology and Digital Services Greg Rossiter said the decision was made as part of the CRI’s commitment to providing the agricultural industry with quality science and software-based decision support tools. Going forward FarmIQ will invest the capital and provide the infrastructure to take Farmax to the next level, which was not considered AgResearch’s core business. Mr Rossiter said “the partnership delivers our scientists opportunities to collaborate and strengthen relationships with key partners and FarmIQ shareholders”. Gavin McEwen, CEO of Farmax views the partnership as having plenty of benefits for Farmax’s own customers. “The business will continue to provide its standalone products and services to our valued customers. Our goal is to unlock tangible benefits to all by improving interoperability and integration between both applications […]

EECA building energy use picture in NZ food and beverage sector

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) is building a picture of energy use in the NZ Food and Beverage sector (not including dairy, meat and seafood). Importantly, the findings of this project will help EECA to design effective programmes to support energy efficiency and decarbonisation for the Food and Beverage sector. To participate in the study – a simple survey, which is due back by the end of October – should take 15-20 minutes and can be completed online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MTPVXPP

Door opens for thousands of dairy workers to become Kiwis

DairyNZ says the Government’s long-awaited decision to provide a pathway to residency is exciting news for thousands of eligible dairy farm workers. DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle says the government announcement allows many valued international dairy workers to become residents and recognises their years of hard work on farms and positive contribution to the dairy sector. “We are genuinely delighted for these workers and their families. Many dairy workers can now plan and look forward to a future in New Zealand with their families,” says Dr Mackle. “Their contribution will assist the dairy sector to continue playing a key role in New Zealand’s economy.” For the past 18 months, DairyNZ and Federated Farmers have worked in close partnership to ensure the best possible outcome for migrant dairy workers and their employers. “We appreciate that the Government has acknowledged the pressure farmers are under, due to being short-staffed, and also recognise the critical role international workers play.” A number of dairy workers have had residency applications on hold since before Covid-19 affected New Zealand in early 2020. Many have been without their families, who are overseas. “We have a significant number of international dairy workers in New Zealand who have been here for many years. They play an essential role in our farm teams and enable dairy to continue its vital contribution to New Zealand’s economy,” said Dr Mackle. “Our country and our rural communities will benefit from these workers and their families formally becoming New Zealanders. Their children help keep our rural schools open and their partners bring skills to our rural regions at a time when many employers are struggling to find staff.” The announcement does come too late for some workers, as a number of migrants wanting to become […]

Synlait launches Swappa Bottle

Synlait Milk Limited (Synlait) has launched its first consumer foods product under its own brand – Synlait Swappa Bottle. Synlait Swappa Bottle is a 1.5 litre reusable, stainless steel bottle of homogenised milk exclusively sourced from Synlait’s highest performing farms when it comes to stewardship for the land, and care for people and animals. The Synlait Swappa Bottle concept is simple – drink, return, repeat: Drink – consumers purchase a Synlait Swappa Bottle and enjoy quality fresh milk. Return – consumers then return the empty Synlait Swappa Bottle and lid to the store. Repeat – helping Synlait to reduce waste and eliminating plastic packaging. Synlait Director Sustainability & Brand Hamish Reid commented: “In the things that we choose to eat and drink, we support the future we want to see. New Zealanders have been telling us for years that they are deeply concerned about plastic waste, but in milk, there haven’t been many options. Synlait Swappa Bottle is a step in the journey towards eliminating plastic waste. Each time we drink, return, repeat, we contribute to a better future.” Synlait Swappa Bottles are initially being launched in two South Island New World stores, with plans to widen distribution over time. Synlait has signalled its intention to move closer to the consumer for some time. Its acquisition of Dairyworks in 2019 was the start of this and adding a Synlait-branded product strengthens and complements its current business portfolio and expertise. Hamish commented: “There’s an opportunity for reusables to play a much bigger role in New Zealanders’ food and beverage future, as they are already in Europe and the USA. In launching Synlait Swappa Bottle – a refillable, stainless-steel bottle that can be reused time and time again – we’re hoping to trigger change.” The Synlait Swappa Bottle carries the B-Corp stamp […]

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