Friday, 25 January 2013 12:39

DairyNZ hopes DCD solution is found

Written by 

Industry body DairyNZ has come out in support of Ravensdown and Ballance Agri-Nutrients' voluntary suspension of sales and use of Dicyandiamide (DCD) treatment on farm land until further notice.

However, DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle is urging the two companies, government authorities and dairy companies to work on pragmatic solutions that would enable the product to be back on the market and able to be used by farmers.

"We support this proactive approach to managing the trade risk, but this is a very useful tool for farmers in terms of managing their nutrient loss on farms, so we'd like to see solutions worked on as a priority," he says.

Dr Mackle says there is a suite of tools farmers can use instead of DCD to manage nitrogen loss and its effect on water quality, so farmers will be actively focussed on those in the meantime.

"We're doing a lot of research on other measures to manage nutrient loss so there are other options. But DCD is a particularly effective one so we hope that a solution can be worked on to enable it to be used."

More like this

Close eye on animal truckers

Trucking firm are coming under particular scrutiny about transporting cows that aren’t fit to travel, says Chris Leach, DairyNZ senior developer - animal husbandry and welfare.

Second Waipa field day

The Waikato Regional Council plans to hold another farm planning and environmental sustainability field day after the success of their last event at the Kaniwhaniwha Stream.

Drying off: making it count

National average somatic cell count (SCC) levels have been dropping recently and are on track to reach a bulk milk SCC of 150,000 cells/ml by 2016.

Featured

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

Machinery & Products

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Full cabinet

OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter