Fonterra says the Government's new methane target is very ambitious and will need hefty spending on R&D to give farmers the solutions they need to achieve.

Fonterra's director of sustainability Carolyn Mortland says she is very heartened by the work farmers are putting into the environment.

Farmers would respond to clear price and penalty signals on environmental issues such as cutting emissions, says Dr Tanira Kingi, a Scion research leader. 

Fonterra can and should lead efforts within the agricultural sector to farm within environmental limits, says Carolyn Mortland, Fonterra’s director of social responsibility.

Getting up early on a foggy frosty Waikato morning for calving is quite a change for the nine Indonesian farmers in New Zealand this winter with Fonterra's Dairy Development programme.

Fonterra farmers are leading the way in responsible dairying with 98% of farm waterways now stock excluded, the co-op says.