Greenies flicked by PKE user

Reporoa farmer Alan Wills, a keen PKE user, has cancelled his membership of Greenpeace, rejecting its assertion that the New Zealand dairy industry is responsible for the growth of the palm oil industry in Asia.

Wills normally feeds 500kg of PKE or PKE blends annually to each cow. But in tough seasons when pasture is limited, each cow can get up to one tonne of PKE. He sees PKE as a by-product that the New Zealand dairy industry is re-cycling through our cows to help keep production going during through periods of poor pasture growth. That is a huge benefit to us and the wider economy, he says.

"Prior to it being used as a stock food, it was dumped on uninhabited coral atolls around Malaysia and Indonesia," he told Dairy News. "So it's organic and we make good use of the product."

Wills rejects Greenpeace's claim that New Zealand dairy farmers are driving palm oil industry in Asia. Dairy farmers respect the environment and our use of the by-product is not the driver of any deforestation, he says.

"My wife is a greenie and there's not much that doesn't get recycled here," he says. But Greenpeace is taking its protests too far, says Wills. "We cancelled our Greenpeace membership when they started chaining themselves to ships."

Wills has two farms: a home farm running 500 cows on 182ha and 300 cows on a 105ha adjacent property.

He has used PKE for seven years. Cows on 300-day lactation are fed PKE in spring if pasture growth is poor and again through summer.

Some maize is also used in autumn, with PKE to boost starch levels.

Wills has no animal health issues using PKE. He rejects biosecurity concerns about the feed. "We have well-trained people protecting our borders and I trust what they allow in is safe."

Wills buys PKE from J Swap, Matamata. "They are well organised with a big fleet of trucks and generally get to us within 48 hours."

But he admits 2008-09 was a learning curve for the industry. "It was a one-off event, the product was new and there were lessons learnt by all players."

A drought followed by a reduced payout, triggered by the global financial crisis, forced some farmers to walk away from PKE and maize supply agreements which had them paying more than the spot price. The drought also spiked demand for PKE and companies were struggling to meet demand.

"It was a difficult time for everyone. They were struggling to supply those of us on contracts. As we went into the drought we had a profile of using nearly a unit load a week but that became difficult for them to maintain as the demand pressure came on. But we have worked through that and the situation is a lot more stable now and working well."

Wills also sees PKE as part of sustainable farming. He's not a big fertiliser user.

PKE becomes part of the nutrient management mix via effluent and cows excreting on paddocks.