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Fonterra chairman steps down

Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd (FCG) today announced that John Wilson has stood down from his position as Chairman with immediate effect as he recovers from a recent serious health scare. He will remain a Fonterra Director until the Co-operative’s Annual Meeting in November, when he will retire from the Board. Within the last month Mr Wilson has undergone a significant surgery and will require on-going treatment. In response to Mr Wilson’s decision, the Fonterra Board has selected John Monaghan as the Co-operative’s new Chairman. Mr Monaghan is an experienced director and has been on the Fonterra Board since 2008. He grew up on a dairy farm and has current farming interests in the Wairarapa and Otago. During his time on the Fonterra Board Mr Monaghan has served on multiple committees, chairing several of them. He has taken a lead role in representing Fonterra’s interests on customer visits and global trade issues and has strong networks both domestically and internationally with key stakeholders. Mr Monaghan has been closely involved in the process to appoint a new CEO to Fonterra and will now lead the advancement of this appointment with the full involvement of the Board. In a message to farmers earlier today, outgoing Chairman John Wilson said the decision to stand down as Chair had been difficult but was ultimately in the best interests of the Co-operative. “I have made a very good recovery and am well but will need on-going treatment. “It has been a privilege to serve you as Chairman and give something back to this great Co-operative that continues to give my family and me so much. “As many of you will know from experience, governance roles are incredibly rewarding, but equally demanding on the individual and their families. “Continuing as Chairman when I cannot put my full […]

Hemp is not marijuana, it is a formidable vegetable

Social entrepreneur Michael Mayell is speaking out about the beneficial properties of hemp to help inform and inspire Kiwis to embrace new business opportunities around what he calls a ‘formidable vegetable’. “Hemp is food, fibre and medicine. Hemp is cannabis without any of the psychoactive properties of its cousin marijuana and is fuelling an emerging market which is an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors,” says Mayell, who started his food journey as founder of Cookie Time in 1983 and went on to found Nutrient Rescue, a social enterprise, in 2016 and the Drinkable Rivers in our Lifetime campaign. Mayell says, “I think we’re growing the wrong grass in New Zealand, or as Richard Branson said we should swap cows for cannabis. New Zealand needs to move from the lamb age to the cow age to the hemp age. I’d like to see the whole country get behind this incredible and so very misunderstood plant.” New Zealand food safety authorities are currently looking to follow Australia to allow hemp seed in food by changing regulations under the Food Act, the Misuse of Drugs Act and the Medicines Act. Law changes are expected later this year to allow hemp seed to be sold as a food in New Zealand, in addition to the current legislation which has allowed the local sale of hemp seed oil since 2003. “Many other countries have already legalised this formidable vegetable,” says Mayell. “We need to be ready to capitalise on the opportunities around hemp seed, one of the most nutritionally complete foods on Earth. With up to 40% protein and 40% good oil, hemp offers an incredible alternative to meat or dairy protein for the exponentially growing plant-based, flexitarian and vegan markets.” Hulled hemp seeds are filled with healthy essential fatty acids such as Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, Omega 3 and Omega 6) and Gamma-linolenic acid […]

Michael and Susie Woodward nz food man site

Synlait applauds high performing dairy farmers

Synlait recognised high achievers in their milk supplier network at their annual conference in Christchurch for dairy farmers and partners on Thursday 28 June. Nine accolades were up for grabs at the 2018 Synlait Dairy Honours Awards. “We make a point of celebrating the significant achievements of an increasingly large number of high performing dairy farmers each year,” says John Penno, Synlait’s CEO and Managing Director. “Through our Lead With Pride™ programme, we encourage our dairy farmers to adopt best practice in milk quality, animal health and welfare, social responsibility and environmental sustainability. This results in high performing operations, which were evident in our 2018 finalists.” Michael and Susie Woodward accepting the ANZ 2017-2018 Supreme Lead with Pride Award. “The standard was extremely high and I would like to congratulate each of our winners, particularly Michael and Susie Woodward from Theland Purata Farm Group Ltd – Tapatoru Dairies, who took out the ANZ 2017-2018 Supreme Lead With Pride™ Award as well as the PwC 2017-2018 Excellence in Social Responsibility Award.” 2017-2018 DAIRY HONOURS AwardS Winners Milk Quality Awards This category recognises suppliers who consistently supply excellent quality milk. Zee Tags 2017-2018 Lowest Somatic Cell Count Award, Kyle Weaver of Deebury Pastoral Partnership Vodafone 2017-2018 Most Improved Milk Quality, Johan Joubert, Landcorp Pāmu – Waimakariri Farm IQ 2017-2018 Best Milk Quality (weighted by farm size) Award, Jackson Hann, Mundtville Farms Ltd Tru Test 2017-2018 Best Milk Quality Award, Ruurd and Rachel Lieuwes, Lieuwes Abbott Ltd Lead With Pride™ Awards (judged) This category is judged by an independent third party who focus on the way award finalists care for their animals, the environment in which they farm and for the people they employ. Deosan 2017-2018 Excellence in Animal Health and Welfare Award, Shaun Wilson, Craigmore Farming Balance 2017-2018 Excellence in […]

Food container has long life

Sæplast has extended its range of rugged and hygienic reusable plastic containers for the food processing industry with the introduction of a further size. The new Sæplast 300PE is a square 800x800mm container with a height of 770mm giving it a net volume of 268 litres. This can be increased to 298 litres with the removal of the handle openings. For ease of access and transportation, the container features fork lift entry on all four sides. Like all Sæplast containers, the 300PE offers important hygiene, safety and convenience benefits to ensure the highest food processing standards. The one piece, seamless triple-wall design and closed cell core provides excellent durability, meaning Sæplast PE containers last on average between five to seven times longer than single wall bins. The solid inner core prevents absorption of liquid and the tubs do not have easily broken joints or hard-to-clean crevasses, preventing the harbouring of harmful bacterial growth and making them easy to clean, maintain and repair. The avoidance of splintering, metal tearing or corrugated boxes collapsing delivers safe and easy handling for users. The Sæplast 300PE is available in a variety of colours. Company logos can be incorporated for individual branding, and tracking options include barcode, QR code and RFID technology.

‘Muddy Buns’ cleaning up the butter market

Muddy Buns, Dirty Dirty Bread, or Zang Zang Bao as they’re known in China, are creating a social media frenzy and driving a further craving for butter around the world. Fonterra Edgecumbe is all geared up to handle this global trend and is commissioning a new butter line which will nearly double the factory’s butter sheet production from 4,500 metric tonnes to 7,000 metric tonnes. Fonterra General Manager Marketing, Global Foodservice, Susan Cassidy says “The Dirty Dirty Bread can best be described as a chocolate croissant. People love the flaky chocolate pastry that’s coated in rich chocolate ganache and sprinkled with cocoa powder. “It makes it impossible to keep your face clean while eating. They are popular with celebrities who have taken to social media to share images of their ‘muddy bun face’ experience.” Ms Cassidy says demand for butter is as strong as ever. People want natural products and they are prepared to pay for them. And that’s why global butter prices, including here in New Zealand, are continuing to rise. “Even in temperatures of minus ten degrees, crowds of people are queuing for hours to get their hands on their Muddy Bun.” Edgecumbe’s Operations Manager, Allan Muggeridge, says the first butter sheet will roll off the new butter line on September 1. “We’ve been watching demand for butter build for a number of years now. The building part of the project started in May so it’s been a quick turnaround to get it up and running,” says Mr Muggeridge. Fifteen local contractors have been employed to complete the expansion at the site, which employees 380 people. “It’s been a real boost to the local business community, especially after the rough past 12 months Edgecumbe has had,” says Mr Muggeridge. Fonterra Edgecumbe Cream Plant Manager Doug Gerry with Engineering […]

Synlait takes up climate change challenge

Synlait has signed the CEO Climate Change statement released by the Climate Leaders Coalition. Synlait’s signature reiterates their bold sustainability commitments announced on 28 June 2018 to reduce their emissions footprint significantly over the next decade. The Climate Leaders Coalition is made up of sixty CEO’s representing a variety of businesses from different industries which combined contribute almost half of New Zealand’s emissions. The CEO’s joined forces to tackle the issue of climate change with the Sustainable Business Council (SBC) – a global network partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The goal of the new group – which includes the leaders of Synlait Milk, Z Energy, Westpac, Ngāi Tahu Holdings, Vector, Air New Zealand, Spark and NZ Post – is to help New Zealand transition to a low emissions economy and, in doing so, create a positive future for New Zealanders, business, and the economy. “I’m proud that Synlait Milk is one of the first 60 businesses to form the Climate Leaders Coalition,” said John Penno, CEO and Managing Director. “By signing the agreement, we’ve reiterated our commitment to measure and report our greenhouse gas emissions with a collective view to reduce emissions with the aim of helping to keep global warming within two degrees, as specified in the Paris Agreement,” said Mr Penno. As a recent member of the SBC, Synlait shares their commitment and alignment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. The SBC plays an important role as an advisory board to its members providing knowledge, tools and support to help mainstream sustainability within the New Zealand business community. “We’re looking forward to working closely with the SBC community to learn from each other as we work towards achieving our sustainability targets,” says Hamish Reid, Synlait’s Director of Sustainability and Brand.

Herd of AI startups milking the Internet of Cows

Companies worldwide are pioneering AI in a cattle industry revolution. by SCOTT MARTIN A pasture of startups promises to beef up the cattle industry. These pioneers in what’s become known as the Internet of Cows are using image recognition algorithms to help detect cattle health issues and serve up analytics for improvements to farm management in the multibillion-dollar dairy and beef markets. Companies dotting the globe — in Israel, Canada, Ireland, Amsterdam, India and the U.S. — have been focused on boosting cattle production as AI has come to the fore of agriculture in recent years. “We have an Internet of Things approach,” said Joy Parr Drach, CEO of Advanced Animal Diagnostics. “Point of care for us is point of cow.” Morrisville, N.C.-based AAD has a commercial portable dairy testing device and is in trials with its device targeted at the beef cattle industry. AAD uses AI to analyze images of fluorescing white blood cells in a drop of milk or blood. Using deep learning algorithms, the device determines quantities of each type of white blood cell, translating the results into animal health status. AAD processes animal tests on its servers running NVIDIA GPUs, tapping machine learning to differentiate infection-fighting cells. AAD’s QScout farm testing device aims to predict animal performance and detect infections in beef cattle before they appear. Its internet-connected portable lab can shuttle results to the cloud and provide alerts to red flags in the health of cows. Its testing unit can also keep tabs on the health of cows for milk production. The testing device can monitor for elevated types of certain white blood cells in cows, an indicator for mastitis, which is inflammation of the udder’s mammary gland that can threaten milk production. Using these new technologies can provide early detection and enable farms to head off […]

Alternative protein reports published

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Plant & Food Research have released their joint report: The evolution of plant protein – assessing consumer response. The report was commissioned to assess consumer responses to protein and highlight the potential impacts to the New Zealand agricultural industry. New Zealand’s social, environmental, and economic well-being is linked to New Zealand’s ability to supply the rest of the world with protein. New Zealand’s animal-based protein export revenue alone accounts for 60% of New Zealand’s total primary exports. This demand will grow as the global population is set to increase to 8.1 billion by 2025. “This is the very first exploratory piece of work MPI has done in this area. The report explores how consumers have become more aware of the long-term impacts of food production and signals change for traditional animal protein producers. “The findings will inform our work programme to support primary sector resilience in the face of these impacts and changing consumer habits. “The report also includes opportunities to create value through a point of difference for traditional New Zealand products,” says Jarred Mair, acting deputy director-general for policy and trade. “In order for New Zealand to retain a competitive edge in our primary exports, we want to ensure we are looking ahead at what the future consumer might demand in our products and what opportunities are available for our sector,” says Dr Jocelyn Eason of Plant & Food Research. To assess where markets are heading in the next 5 years the report analysed consumer responses to plant-based proteins released in the United States and consumer attitudes to proteins in China. Our research has shown that wealthy western economies such as the US will require an innovative product that meets consumer needs. The key findings of the report include: Progress towards new […]

Sheep and beef farmers working with nature to create profit

New Zealand agriculture is facing increasing pressure to change how it operates and lower its environmental footprint, with the mantra ‘produce more for less’ thrown around regularly. The pressure is being driven by a growing sense of social conscience amongst consumers, who are developing a greater connection to where their food is from, coupled with significant growth in environmental compliance regulation from government, says farm business coach and Growfarm® Managing Director Brendon Walsh. In response to this, Walsh is urging sheep and beef farmers to be open to change, to get the right support and advice, and focus on farming for profit over production so they can continue to form a strong backbone for rural New Zealand. While dairy farmers have been at the front of queue when it comes to public and government scrutiny, Walsh cautions sheep and beef farmers, “don’t wait to become public enemy number one, front foot the change”. Change is disruptive and it’s happening quickly, says Walsh. “The volatility in markets coupled with the rapid pace of change in technology, farming practices, and government and consumer expectations can overwhelm some people”. However despite an historic perception that sheep and beef farmers are averse to change, Walsh says there is no need to fear the change. There is evidence of farmers successfully using the right systems and the right support to create profitable farm businesses that work sustainably with the environment. Walsh is quick to point out the pressure for change is not simply for environmental reasons; it’s also good for farmers’ business and their lives. “Historically and now business results and profitability have been pretty poor, land values have risen, and farming habits are just not delivering decent spare cash for many in the sector”. As a Growfarm® business coach, Walsh works with sheep […]

Synlait confirms date of new Pokeno site

Synlait has confirmed its new nutritional manufacturing site in Pokeno, Waikato, will be commissioned for the 2019 / 2020 season. The functionality of Synlait’s first nutritional spray dryer at Pokeno has also been expanded as a result of forecast customer demand. The nutritional spray dryer will be capable of producing a full suite of nutritional, formulated powders (including infant-grade skim milk, whole milk and infant formula base powders) and the capacity has increased to 45,000 metric tonnes (MT) from an initial 40,000 MT. The initial capital investment is estimated at $250 million, excluding the land previously acquired. Synlait has the capital required to fund this programme through a combination of cashflow and an increased bank revolver facility. “Our immediate focus is on establishing the nutritional spray dryer and associated services, including a wetmix kitchen and warehousing,” says Mr Penno. “But additional capacity and capabilities may be added in future as Synlait seeks to develop the site to a similar level as Synlait’s Dunsandel site over time,” he says. Initially, Synlait Pokeno will produce infant-grade ingredients while regulatory registration is obtained for infant formula base powder production. Milk supply will be sourced from the Waikato region from 1 June 2019 and Synlait will grow their a2 Milk™ and Lead With Pride™ programmes through new suppliers. “We’ve had a really positive response from dairy farmers looking to supply Synlait, so we’re confident of securing sufficient milk for the 2019 / 2020 season,” says David Williams, Synlait’s Milk Supply Manager. “This was reinforced with our presence at Fieldays at Mystery Creek last week. It was great to meet a number of passionate dairy farmers who are serious about doing more with their milk and adding value on farm, which is exactly what we do,” says Mr Williams. Anyone interested in supplying Synlait Milk […]

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