Synlait's back
OPINION: After years of financial turmoil, Canterbury milk processor Synlait is now back in business.
Synlait is working with companies in Europe to bring technology to NZ which will significantly reduce methane in the rumen of animals, says Hamish Reid, director of sustainability and brand.
“The technology has not yet been broadly publicly released,” he says.
“It is being developed by an organisation in the Netherlands and it is fed to animals in a feedstock. They have evidence over many years of testing to show it will result in a 30-60% reduction in methane in animals’ rumens.
“They have lots of peer-reviewed papers and evidence that it is absolutely possible.
“It has been designed for the barn-fed farming system in Europe so it is an experiment for NZ.
But the product has been tested on farms here and they are getting really good results so we are looking forward to being one of their early commercial partners to pioneer this product within our systems.”
Methane is about 60% of Synlait’s onfarm impact, Reid says.
“There is a lot of media attention on methane being a short-lived gas and perhaps not being the priority over the other two major gases – nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide. But we think as minimum methane should be contained and in the best case reduced, so that is why we have set a strong target to reduce methane.
“There is a symbiotic relationship between nitrous oxide reductions which we have proven [reducible] on best-case farms.”
This could also result in gains in addressing methane.
OPINION: Ministry for Primary Industries' situation outlook for primary industries report (SOPI) makes impressive reading.
Sheep and beef farmers Matt and Kristin Churchward say using artificial intelligence (AI) to spread fertiliser on their sprawling 630ha farm is a game changer for their business.
Commercial fruit and vegetable growers are being encouraged to cast their votes in the Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) board directors' election.
A unique discovery by a Palmerston North science company, Biolumic, looks set to revolutionise the value and potential of ryegrass and the secret is the application of ultraviolet (UV) light.
A New Zealand company is redefining the global collagen game by turning New Zealand sheepskin into a world-class health product.
With further extreme weather on the way, ANZ Bank is encouraging farmers and business owners impacted by the recent extreme weather and flooding to seek support if they need it.