Green no more?
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South Canterbury processor Synlait is throwing its support behind the government’s “bold’ Zero Carbon Bill.
The company says the targets in the Bill are aligned with Synlait’s commitment to sustainability announced in June 2018.
Synlait has committed to achieve on-farm reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by 35% per kilogram of milk solids (kgMS) by 2028, including a reduction of methane by 30%.
Synlait also has targets for its manufacturing sites and supply chain including reductions of GHGs by 50% per kilogram of finished product by 2028.
“We believe we need to play our part and help lead our industry to a low emissions future. We’re making good progress and exploring new avenues,” says Synlait’s chief executive Leon Clement.
“As part of this work we have been investigating methane reduction and are pursuing some encouraging technologies that decouple the correlation between methane generation and herd size,” says Clement.
Synlait’s farming programme Lead With Pride was also given a boost in June 2018 under the new sustainability strategy. Higher incentive payments have led to many more farmers moving towards certification, with Lead With Pride certified milk supply expected to increase 40% by the end of FY19.
The programme recognises and rewards Synlait’s milk suppliers who achieve dairy farming best practice.
DairyNZ Chair Tracy Brown has seen a lot of change since she first started out in the dairy sector, with around one-third of dairy farmers now women.
Castle Ridge Station has been named the Regional Supreme Winner at the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
The South Island Dairy Event has announced Jessica Findlay as the recipient of the BrightSIDE Scholarship Programme, recognising her commitment to furthering her education and future career in the New Zealand dairy industry.
New Zealand and Chile have signed a new arrangement designed to boost agricultural cooperation and drive sector success.
New DairyNZ research will help farmers mitigate the impacts of heat stress on herds in high-risk regions of the country.
Budou are being picked now in Bridge Pā, the most intense and exciting time of the year for the Greencollar team – and the harvest of the finest eating grapes is weeks earlier than expected.
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