Opinion divided
OPINION: Boutique milk company Lewis Road Creamery’s latest offering to mark Matariki is unfairly facing heat from certain quarters of Māoridom, who are opposed to any commercialisation of all things Māori.
Corporate dairy farmer Southern Pastures has been judged to be a responsible investment leader for the seventh year running.
The company, which owns 19 dairy farms in Waikato and Canterbury and is the owner of premium dairy brand Lewis Road Creamery and wholesale business NZ Grass Fed Products LP, says it remains the only organisation from New Zealand's agriculture and food sectors to ever be included in the annual benchmark report released by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA).
"So often the pastoral industry is judged by outputs such as emissions, but we're not nearly as rigorously measured or assessed for the positive services that some of us provide," says Prem Maan, Southern Pastures' executive chairman.
"On our farms, we have a massive programme of work underway to sequester carbon and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and foster biodiversity through, for example, good soil management, native plantings, and animal feed.
"We also act at executive level as strong stewards for more sustainable and resilient assets and markets. The RIAA benchmark is one way these positive efforts are independently recognised," says Maan.
RIAA represents investors with assets under management of over US$29 trillion, including NZ Managers who represent $328 billion.
Southern Pastures produces milk under its independently-audited 10 Star Certified Values standard, which covers stringent grass-fed, free-range, climate-change mitigation, human welfare, animal welfare, and sustainability requirements.
It doesn't feed cows imported palm kernel expeller (PKE), claiming its production contributes to loss of rainforest and biodiversity.
It also refuses to trade in carbon credits or offsets to achieve its zero carbon ambitions, but is committed to long-term farming techniques such as low tillage and deep-rooted plants that capture and store carbon from the atmosphere. It's also trialling and measuring numerous other initiatives such as biochar, dung beetles and prebiotics, as well as retiring land to native plantings.
"Soil can hold up to three times the amount of carbon than the atmosphere and all plant combined," says Maan.
"We think a positive approach to preserving carbon in our soil is potentially part of the answer to mitigating climate change.
"It's a shame that carbon sequestraction through on-farm soil management, native plantings and biodiversity is not prioritised in New Zealand over monoculture exotic trees."
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
OPINION: Canterbury milk processor Synlait is showing no sign of bouncing back from its financial doldrums.
OPINION: It seems every bugger in this country can get an award these days.