increase font size
An innovative application of common dairy technology is helping Fonterra make savings from waste.
The upgrade underway at Fonterra's Edgecumbe site will allow Fonterra to capture lactose that was previously unable to be extracted from the site's waste stream by creatively applying existing filtration technology.
While the project will cost $8 million, it will double the amount of lactose the site is able to recover in a day, reducing Fonterra's reliance on imported lactose from overseas suppliers and delivering significant and ongoing cost savings.
Fonterra Director New Zealand Manufacturing, Mark Leslie says the upgrade will play a vital role in the co-operative's ability to provide high quality milk powder to the world.
"Lactose is used mainly in standardising milk powder, and the additional volumes of lactose we're now able to capture will be essential in supplying the new dryer opening soon in Lichfield – one of our most strategically important builds," Leslie says.
"We are continually looking for ways to get the most out of our milk and this is another good example. We have found a creative way to use existing technology that will bring great results, save us cash and deliver real value for our farmers."
Not only will the upgrade generate savings for the co-operative, by removing even more solids from the site's waste water it will also reduce Fonterra Edgecumbe's environmental footprint.
"Important to Fonterra is our commitment to creating a more sustainable dairy industry. As with any project we undertake, reducing our emissions and our environmental impacts is one of the first considerations," says Leslie.
"This project, and several others planned for the Edgecumbe site in the coming months demonstrate that ongoing commitment."
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
OPINION: Farmer shareholders of two of New Zealand's largest co-operatives have an important decision to make this month and what they decide could change the landscape of the dairy and meat sectors in New Zealand.
OPINION: As CEO of the Dairy Board in the 1980s I was fortunate to work with a team of experienced and capable executives who made most of the brand investments that created the international consumer business Fonterra inherited. Soprole in Chile was the largest, but there were more than 20 countries where consumer marketing companies were established and Anchor and other brands were successfully launched.
Fonterra has delivered a fifth straight year of record organic milk price for farmer suppliers.
Fonterra says favourable weather conditions supporting pasture growth is boosting milk production.
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
OPINION: Dairy industry players are also falling by the wayside as the economic downturn bites around the country.
OPINION: Methane Science Accord, a farmer-led organisation advocating for zero tax on ruminant methane, will be quietly celebrating its first…
