Tuesday, 17 October 2023 11:55

Sustainability no fad

Written by  Staff Reporters
Mike Montgomerie Mike Montgomerie

Sustainability is not a fad and won't go away, says retiring Fonterra Co-operative Council member Mike Montgomerie.

He says sustainability will be an enduring feature of farming.

He says Fonterra is moving in the right direction when it comes to improving its environmental footprint right across its business.

Montgomerie believes farmers are also doing their fair share but admits that methane emissions are a hard nut to crack.

He hopes that some technological solutions will come to farmers' aid so that they can have a commercially viable, cost-effective way of reducing emissions.

"It will be brilliant for dairy farming. I understand there's no silver bullet but once our emissions start heading in the right direction, it will provide a lot of comfort for NZ farming families, Fonterra and the banks."

He believes sustainability is crucial to maintain Fonterra's international markets.

"The sustainability piece is most important because of the rise in alternative proteins. If you don't crack the methane emissions issues and you are up against alternatives who don't have the same problems, it is going to be trouble for us."

More like this

Changing Climate: A taste of the future

A high-resolution vineyard view of ecoclimatic indicators, and how they impact wine quality, can turn “climate insights into strategy”, says climate risk specialist Pete Taylor. “Whether you’re a grower, winemaker, or industry leader, understanding the future is key to staying ahead.”

A Thousand Gods

I like to think that when Simon Sharpe and Lauren Keenan heard they'd been named The Real Review Rising Star of the Year, they cried out "miladiou!"

One-horsepower solution

David Herd broke boundaries when he planted Marlborough's first vineyard in 1892, surrounded by sheep and crops.

Misguided campaign

OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is polluting the environment.

Featured

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

RainWave set to cause a splash

Traditional spreading via tankers or umbilical systems have typically discharged effluent onto splash-plates, resulting in small droplet sizes, which in…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Suitors line up

OPINION: As Fonterra's divestment of its Oceania and global consumer businesses progresses, clear contenders are emerging.

On the go

OPINION: After hopping from one event to another at Fieldays, Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard would have been hoping for…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter