Fonterra shaves 50c off forecast milk price
Fonterra has dropped its forecast milk price mid-point by 50c as a surge in global milk production is putting downward pressure on commodity prices.
Fonterra introduced ‘Naked Mozz’— a move that will spare a staggering 330 tonnes of cardboard each year, translating to annual savings of more than $825,000.
Each year, over 12,000 tonnes of Perfect Italiano Mozzarella embark on a journey from Fonterra Australia's Stanhope manufacturing site in northern Victoria to be expertly shredded at its secondary processing site in Tullamarine in Melbourne.
From there, it tops millions of pizzas across Australia and travels to countries including Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
Traditionally, transporting this massive amount of cheese in hefty 10kg blocks for processing meant considerable packaging - including 600,000 cardboard cartons - so Fonterra set itself a challenge to cut out the cardboard on the route to Tullamarine.
In November, Fonterra introduced 'Naked Mozz' - a move that will spare a staggering 330 tonnes of cardboard each year, translating to annual savings of more than $825,000.
Jenny Phillips, Fonterra Australia's sustainable packaging manager, says that this innovative initiative is just one of 26 sustainable packaging projects in progress.
"Our aim is to ensure that by 2025, 100% of Fonterra Australia's dairy product packaging will be reusable, recyclable, or compostable. Additionally, we're targeting zero waste to landfill by the same year, and reducing waste in our supply chain is pivotal to achieving this goal.
"While the mozzarella is still securely wrapped in plastic which is crucial for food safety and waste reduction, eliminating cardboard will significantly bolster our sustainability efforts.
"The benefits extend beyond reduced cardboard use. This initiative eliminates the need for frequent cardboard waste collections from the Tullamarine site and minimises manual handling to enhance the health and safety of our on-site team.
"This latest packaging project underscores that our much-loved dairy products can be delivered sustainably without compromising on the quality our customers expect," says Phillips.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change would be “a really dumb move”.
The University of Waikato has broken ground on its new medical school building.
Undoubtedly the doyen of rural culture, always with a wry smile, our favourite ginger ninja, Te Radar, in conjunction with his wife Ruth Spencer, has recently released an enchanting, yet educational read centred around rural New Zealand in one hundred objects.
Farmers are being urged to keep on top of measures to control Cysticerus ovis - or sheep measles - following a spike in infection rates.
For more than 50 years, Waireka Research Station at New Plymouth has been a hub for globally important trials of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides, carried out on 16ha of orderly flat plots hedged for protection against the strong winds that sweep in from New Zealand’s west coast.
There's a special sort of energy at the East Coast Farming Expo, especially when it comes to youth.
OPINION: Dipping global dairy prices have already resulted in Irish farmers facing a price cut from processors.
OPINION: Are the heydays of soaring global demand for butter over?