Dairy giant Fonterra and Nestlé have joined forces to try and create New Zealand's first net zero carbon emissions dairy farm.
Fonterra and Nestle staff with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo: Supplied / Paul Sutherland
The five-year project being run in partnership with Dairy Trust Taranaki will review all aspects of a 290 hectare farm near Fonterra's Whareroa site.
The first goal was to cut emissions by 30 percent in mid 2027, the 10-year ambition is to reach net zero carbon emissions.
Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell said lessons learned will be shared with farmers who then can adopt the techniques and technologies most appropriate for their own farms
"New Zealand already provides some of the most sustainable nutrition in the world through its pasture-based dairy system. This new partnership will look at ways to further reduce emissions, increasing the countrys low-emissions advantage over the rest of the world.
"Any changes need to be economically viable," he said.
Nestlé New Zealand chief executive Jennifer Chappell said dairy is the company's single biggest ingredient so being involved in the farm will build on work around the world Nestlé was doing to help transform the dairy industry.
"To reduce our Scope 3 emissions, it's critical we work with dairy farmers and their communities. For this reason, we have over 100 pilot projects with partners around the world, including in New Zealand, and 20 farms already striving towards the ambition of net zero emissions."
