Fonterra and Nestlé have partnered to help reduce New Zealand's on-farm emissions. The five-year project, run with co-partner Dairy Trust Taranaki, will examine all aspects of farm operations to cut emissions by 30 percent by mid-2027 and reach net zero in ten years. The demonstration farm is a 290-hectare property surrounding Fonterra’s Whareroa site.
The partnership is part of Fonterra's strategy to lead in sustainability and be net zero by 2050. The cooperative sees partnerships as the best way to drive innovative solutions for global industry challenges.
“As well as our own goals, it’s important we help our customers achieve theirs. Nestlé has ambitious plans and we look forward to working together to discover systems that could help our farmer owners to continue to build on the already good base they have," said Miles Hurrell, Fonterra CEO.
Nestle also has the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, with a reduction of 20 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030.
“Dairy is our single biggest ingredient, and our vision is that the future for dairy can be net zero. To reduce our scope three 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,” said Jennifer Chappell, Nestlé New Zealand CEO.
“Working towards a net zero farm means looking at all aspects of the farm, from cow nutrition to sequestering carbon. We will share what we learn on the journey across the dairy industry, with the goal of ultimately mainstreaming on-farm practices that will reduce the climate impact of the dairy industry.”
