Wednesday, 23 July 2025 12:25

Synthetic milk

Written by  Milking It

OPINION: Will synthetic milk derail NZ's economy?

According to media reports, professor of econiomics at Auckland University of Technology, Niven Winchester, believes further development of synthetic milk could seriously disrupt the entire economy.

The scale of disruption though would vary, and there is slow progress at present towards making synthetic milk economic. Even so, dangers lie around the corner, according to Wichester.

"Large-scale production of synthetic dairy products - that decreases the price of New Zealand's largest export commodity - will have a significant negative impact on this economy," Winchester says.

This issue has arisen after years of analysis which argues that putting grass into a cow is wasteful because a lot of the output is diverted into growth of the animal. The claims is, putting a feedstock such as sugar into a test tube could produce milk which has less waste and lower environmental side effects.

More like this

Domestic Focus

OPINION: After hogging the media limelight for telling a NZ Chinese MP to "go back home", Winston Peters has decided to focus on a domestic issue - oil and gas drilling.

A No-Brainer

OPINION: With fuel prices soaring, one would have expected most farmers to be reclaiming excise duty on petrol.

Floating Farm Sinks

OPINION: The world's first floating dairy farm, once hailed as a vision of farming's future, is up for sale after seven years.

Make It Up!

PM Chris Luxon can't seem to buy a trick when it comes to the polls, particularly for his own approval rating as preferred Prime Minister.

It's all about economics

OPINION: According to media reports, the eye-watering price of butter has prompted Finance Minister Nicola Willis to ask for a 'please explain' from her former employer Fonterra.

Featured

Editorial: Drones Are Not Toys

OPINION: David Seymour and James Meager's plan to make it easier for farmers and orchardists to operate drones can best be described a 'courageous' move.

Opuha Dam Commissions New Valve in Major Flood Safety Upgrade

Opuha Dam's ability to protect South Canterbury communities from major flooding has taken a significant step forward, with Opuha Water Limited (OWL) successfully commissioning a new outlet valve capable of releasing record volumes of water from the dam ahead of a weather event.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Domestic Focus

OPINION: After hogging the media limelight for telling a NZ Chinese MP to "go back home", Winston Peters has decided…

A No-Brainer

OPINION: With fuel prices soaring, one would have expected most farmers to be reclaiming excise duty on petrol.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter