New Zealand: Agriculture
Fonterra linked to illegal deforestation, claims Greenpeace
5 Mar 2025
Dairy giant Fonterra's supply chain is linked with illegal deforestation, according to Greenpeace Aotearoa, after New Zealand's major importers of palm kernel have been found to be illegally operating palm plantations in Indonesia.
Fonterra announces more cash for low-emission farmers
19 Feb 2025
Dairy co-operative Fonterra is introducing higher payments for farms that reduce on-farm emissions.
Swedish company gets $4 million to help curb NZ livestock emissions
13 Feb 2025
Industry-government partnership AgriZeroNZ is investing about NZD $4.2 million in Agteria Biotech, a Swedish company aiming to slash global methane emissions from cattle.
Govt releases controversial methane review
5 Dec 2024
The Government “will carefully consider” the findings of an independent review on New Zealand’s biogenic methane science and targets, it announced yesterday.
Govt sponsors new methane testing facility
4 Dec 2024
A new feed conversion efficiency and methane testing facility is looking to fill a gap in New Zealand methane research.
Low emission meat products 'simply greenwashing'
3 Dec 2024
A new meat product using bobby calves, that its producer claims will address ethical and environmental concerns in the New Zealand dairy sector, is being labelled "industry greenwashing".
Controversy around methane review heats up
28 Nov 2024
The government’s proposal to align methane targets with ‘no additional warming’ is self-serving, unfair to developing nations, and could ultimately harm New Zealand’s reputation and free trade agreements, according to a new report.
Exports risk multi-billion dollar hit if GMO rules deregulated
26 Nov 2024
New Zealand’s primary sector exports could drop by $10 billion to $20 billion a year if the government goes ahead with plans to change genetic modification rules, according to a new report.
Govt passes bill to keep farming emissions out of ETS
25 Nov 2024
The government quietly passed a bill to remove agricultural emissions from New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme on Friday, making no official statement announcing the law change.
Govt accused of kicking can down the road on ag emissions
12 Nov 2024
The Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Scheme Agricultural Obligations) Amendment Bill completed its second reading in Parliament with Opposition parties saying it was a step backwards.
Seaweed can reduce emissions from cattle by 95% - new study
24 Oct 2024
A new study has found that using whole Asparagopsis seaweed as a cattle feed additive is significantly more effective at reducing methane emissions than using the plant’s primary active compound on its own.
Farmers need to get creative to reduce environmental impacts: Young Farmer finalist
4 Oct 2024
By Jon Rawlinson | A three-time winner of the Northern FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition is building a business around helping future farmers prepare for environmental challenges.
Nestlé questions NZ dairy farmers’ carbon claims
22 Aug 2024
By Liz Kivi | Nestlé’s chief dairy buyer has challenged claims that New Zealand’s dairy farms have the lowest global carbon footprint.
UN-backed organisation approves Fonterra’s climate targets
19 Aug 2024
By Jon Rawlinson | The world’s top corporate climate-target verifier, the London-based Science Based Targets initiative, has approved Fonterra’s emissions reductions targets.
European organisation accuses Fonterra of derailing climate action
19 Jul 2024
A European organisation has accused big dairy and meat companies, including New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra, of “distracting, delaying and derailing” action on climate change.
What does Denmark’s carbon tax mean for NZ?
17 Jul 2024
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: A few weeks back Denmark announced a proposal to introduce a tax on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Govt’s regulatory breather doesn’t change pressure on farm emissions
9 Jul 2024
As the Government moves away from pricing farm emissions and looks to reduce methane targets, farmers are coming under increasing pressure from their customers to reduce all emissions.
More carrot, less stick for ag sector emissions reductions?
1 Jul 2024
The Bank of New Zealand is the latest big business to become a shareholder of a public-private joint venture to reduce emissions from agriculture.
Climate announcements coming to Fieldays?
11 Jun 2024
Farmers and the wider agricultural sector gathering at Fieldays this week make the event a likely venue for rolling out environment and climate change policy.
Additional $18 million to reduce agricultural emissions
10 Apr 2024
The government and businesses are committing an additional $18 million to a public-private joint venture to reduce agricultural emissions.
Govt review of methane targets controversial with experts
8 Apr 2024
The government’s plan for an independent review of agricultural methane targets consistent with no additional warming represents “dangerous thinking” according to an expert.
Fonterra launches new carbon tool
6 Mar 2024
In a move it says is an industry first, Fonterra has launched a tool to help customers access the emissions profile of individual products.
Agri-focused board game for NCEA students
20 Dec 2023
A new board game for NCEA students is aimed at attracting young farmers to the industry.
Fonterra announces 30% on-farm emissions reduction target
10 Nov 2023
Fonterra has announced it is targeting a 30% intensity reduction in on-farm emissions by 2030 from a 2018 baseline.
$10 million “sheep of the future” could emit less methane
21 Sep 2023
The government is putting $10.5 million towards breeding the “sheep of the future,” which will create fewer methane emissions as well as coping with hotter temperatures as summers heat up.
Farmers call for methane review based on flawed report, says expert
19 Sep 2023
The agriculture sector is calling for a review of New Zealand’s methane targets, citing a report suggesting Kiwi farmers are being asked to do more than their fair share in terms of reductions.
Govt and agribusiness invest $4 million in US tech hoping to cut cow methane
13 Sep 2023
A joint venture of major New Zealand agribusiness companies and the government has invested $4.1 million in a US start-up aiming to develop feed supplements to reduce methane emissions from cows.
Farmers welcome EPA approval of first methane inhibitor in New Zealand
11 Aug 2023
The Environmental Protection Authority has approved a feed additive that could reduce methane emissions from livestock by 30%.
Govt gives Fonterra $90 million as part of $790 million spend to cut coal
20 Jul 2023
The government is giving Fonterra $90 million as part of a $790 million investment to cut coal use at six of its dairy factories.
Scientists call on govt to develop climate-friendly national food strategy
13 Jul 2023
The directors of six National Science Challenges are joining calls to the government to develop a national food strategy for New Zealand - one that will help reduce emissions as well as increase resilience to the climate crisis.
He Waka Eke Noa all talk no action: NZIEF
13 Jun 2022
The NZ Institute of Forestry has declared last week’s He Waka Eke Noa emissions pricing proposal all talk and no action.
HWEN proposes burp levy with proceeds recycled to agricultural research
8 Jun 2022
He Waka Eke Noa, the Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership, is proposing a farm-level split gas levy as its preferred alternative to pricing agriculture emissions through the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Switching to plant-based cheese can reduce carbon emissions by 50% compared to the dairy version
1 Jun 2022
A life cycle evaluation used to determine environmental impacts, including indicators for climate impact and land use, has revealed that ordinary cheese is a major cause of carbon emissions.
Livestock methane emissions tackled by Western Australian company with 'inorganic bioactives'
17 May 2022
A Western Australian company claims to have produced bioactives in a laboratory that could reduce livestock methane emissions by up to 95%.
Is there room for fruit trees in carbon capture programmes?
9 Feb 2022
Climate change concerns from buyers and regulators are pushing agricultural commodity groups in new directions. Some have even started to participate in carbon-capture incentive programs such as carbon markets. But is there room for tree fruit in these programmes?
Aussie biodiversity market a step closer
19 Nov 2021
Plans to pay farmers for the biodiversity benefits they deliver have progressed today with the Australian Government kicking off the legislation process.
Govt gives cautious welcome to US-European methane pledge
20 Sep 2021
Climate Change minister James Shaw says it’s great to see the EU and US committing to reducing methane emissions by 30% over the next nine years but isn’t committing the government to signing New Zealand up just yet.
Biogas proposals risk locking in unsustainable agriculture: groups claim
15 Jul 2021
Proposals in a recent biogas report, part-funded by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), risks locking in agricultural practices that harm the country’s soils and waters and contribute to climate change, a coalition of zero waste and regenerative horticulture groups say.
Climate change slashes agricultural productivity
6 Apr 2021
Research shows rising temperatures since 1960s have acted as a handbrake on agricultural yield of crops and livestock
How our eating is causing global deforestation
30 Mar 2021
The average western consumer of coffee, chocolate, beef, palm oil and other commodities is responsible for the felling of four trees every year, many in wildlife-rich tropical forests, research has calculated.
Big Food eyeing China's growing flexitarian market
4 Mar 2021
The alternative protein market in China is positioned to continue its rapid growth in the coming years, driven by the rise of flexitarianism in the country.
Report: Drystock farms nowhere near net-zero
1 Mar 2021
Sheep and beef farms are sequestering much less carbon than the drystock sector claims, officials say.
Three technologies that will change food production
25 Feb 2021
Agriculture’s impact on the planet is massive and relentless. Roughly 40 per cent of the Earth’s suitable land surface is used for cropland and grazing.
Plant-based diets crucial to saving wildlife, says UN report
4 Feb 2021
The global food system is the biggest driver of destruction of the natural world, and a shift to predominantly plant-based diets is crucial in halting the damage, according to a report.
Confusion over ETS rules is holding us back, says farmer
3 Feb 2021
Wairarapa farmer Mike Ashby feels the Government’s 2025 deadline for bringing agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme hanging over his head like a Sword of Damocles.
SYNLAIT: Food giants ready to pay for sustainable products
9 Dec 2020
New Zealand dairy producers and food processors have a great opportunity to benefit from recent emission-reduction pledges by global brands, Synlait Milk said.
Biogas plans from livestock called greenwashing by environmentalists
8 Dec 2020
Corporate pork and dairy producers are producing biogas to reduce methane emissions. But the actual climate benefits are unclear, and often overstated.
Dairy company says it's well on the way to measuring farm emissions
25 Nov 2020
Fonterra is optimistic it will find a way to accurately measure the amount of greenhouse gas emissions being produced by each dairy farm in time to meet a Government deadline of 2022.
Mixed farming beats intensive agriculture methods
24 Nov 2020
Once again, researchers have shown that it should be possible to feed the human race and leave enough space for the rest of creation, simply by going back to centuries-old mixed farming practices.
Let's recycle our urine for agriculture
20 Nov 2020
Every year on November 19, the United Nations celebrates one of public health’s greatest inventions – the toilet. Those who are fortunate enough to have access to one spend more than a year of their lives on it, yet millions of people worldwide cannot use one and many have never even seen one.
NZ, India touch on climate and energy at leaders' meeting
Tue 18 Mar 2025
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi detailed plans for further cooperation between the two countries across a range of areas including climate and energy during their meeting in New Delhi this week.
If NZ wants to decarbonise energy, we need to know which renewables deliver the best payback
Fri 21 Mar 2025
By Alan Brent and Isabella Pimentel Pincelli | A national energy strategy for Aotearoa New Zealand was meant to be ready at the end of last year. As it stands, we're still waiting for a cohesive, all-encompassing plan to meet the country's energy demand today and in the future.
Consultation on standard for measuring biogas and biomethane carbon intensity
19 Feb 2025
As biomethane and biogas become more common, New Zealand needs a consistent approach to measuring the carbon intensity of these fuels, according to the Bioenergy Association.
Logging train revival to help 'deteriorating' Napier-Taihape road
29 Jan 2025
By Linda Hall, Local Democracy Reporter | Logging trains are back on the tracks running five days a week on the Napier-Palmerston North line to Napier Port, taking trucks off the 'deteriorating' Napier-Taihape Rd.
Carbon credit deal to provide windfall for Maori landowners
Fri 21 Mar 2025
By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporting | An isolated Maori Land Trust in the central North Island has sealed a groundbreaking carbon credit deal, securing millions for its 4000 owners and tens of thousands of beneficiaries.
Greenpeace accuses govt of weakening environmental protections to gain trade advantage
13 Mar 2025
The government's Infrastructure Investment Summit kicked off today, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon opening the summit with a clear message - "New Zealand is open for business".
