Bikinis in cowshed
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Sustainable Food & Fibres Futures Fund will invest in a project to assess the viability of larger scale production of spirulina in New Zealand.
MPI and NZ Algae Innovations will be co-investing more than half a million dollars.
The two-year project involves scaling production to test new growing and processing systems.
It will also research the benefits and opportunities of growing spirulina to support the next steps towards full commercial-scale production.
“We want to understand what consumers are looking for, and whether taking spirulina in powder or capsule form is working for them,” said Justin Hall, director at NZ Algae Innovations.
The project aims to establish a new business model so modular production units can be replicated in potential growing regions across New Zealand.
“Market research shows that consumers, particularly in the northern and western hemispheres, are increasingly looking to add more plant-based protein in their diet and spirulina fits that trend nicely,” said Hall.
The project will explore ways of maintaining more nutrient content in spirulina by developing different harvesting and processing methods using techniques from other industries.
Tahi Spirulina production requires less water per unit of protein produced than most alternatives as the spirulina is grown in a contained system that minimises evaporation and prevents leaching.
“Spirulina has a very low carbon and water footprint, so it checks the sustainability box as well,” said Hall.
Steve Penno, Director Investment Programmes at MPI, says establishing an algal protein sector could have considerable benefits for New Zealand.
“Spirulina farming has the potential to create exciting new employment and export opportunities for this country. It would also support the Government's ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050, by offering a new financially viable and sustainable land use option.”
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.