increase font size
Chief executive Miles Hurrell says there is still a lot of work ahead.
Big changes have been announced in Fonterra’s 2019 Sustainability Report.
Co-firing biomass to reduce coal, lifting the number of New Zealand products with health star ratings and launching an emissions profile for every farm headline the report.
While these and other gains are pleasing and have laid some good foundations for the future, Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell says there is still a lot of work ahead.
“Our 2019 Sustainability Report is an important step towards sustainability being at the heart of our business,” says Hurrell.
“Given the tough year we had, it would’ve been easy to push sustainability to one side, whereas we have in fact continued to make progress. We’ve underlined our commitment to the importance of sustainability and firmed up plans to do more on climate change, coal, waste and sustainable packaging.
“The report is a discussion with New Zealanders around the kind of world we want to leave for future generations and how we’re measuring ourselves against that ambition.
“I’m focused on being a part of a New Zealand dairy co-op that’s producing nutrition in a way that cares for people, animals and our environment, and brings value to our communities.”
Carolyn Mortland, Fonterra global sustainability director, says this is Fonterra’s third annual Sustainability Report, and reports against its new triple bottom line of Healthy People, Healthy Environment and Healthy Business.
“Establishing our inaugural Sustainability Advisory Panel is a critical move to helping guide us as we continue to strive to be a world leader in sustainably-produced dairy nutrition,” says Mortland.
Highlights from 2019 include:
But Moprtland says there’s still a lot more work to do, such as supporting farmers in their response to climate change and doing more to bring greater gender and ethnic diversity into the business.
“We don’t shy away from the fact that we need to do more against some of our ambitious targets,” Mortland added.
“What is clear is that we made some good progress in a tough year and have set ourselves up for the years ahead.”
There's been widespread support from the primary sector for the Government's announcement on changes to freshwater farm plans that come under the Natural Environment Bill, which is now set to replace the existing RMA.
The chair of the country's environmental regulator, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), says changes are already under way to improve the performance of the agency to better meet the needs of those who interface with them.
New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) encourages afforestation while not achieving climate goals, says a new report released by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton.
Speculation of a possible joint move by Fonterra and a2 Milk to buy Synlait raises a much bigger strategic question, says agribusiness expert Dr Nic Lees.
In the past, much has been made of the concept of farm to fork, but an Australian expert in food science and marketing with experience in the dairy industry, Dr Angeline Achariya, says the reverse of this slogan is critical to win modern day consumers.
OPINION: David Seymour and James Meager's plan to make it easier for farmers and orchardists to operate drones can best be described a 'courageous' move.
New Zealand wool is reaching new heights as air filtration companies move away from synthetic products to biodegradable alternatives.
Opuha Dam's ability to protect South Canterbury communities from major flooding has taken a significant step forward, with Opuha Water Limited (OWL) successfully commissioning a new outlet valve capable of releasing record volumes of water from the dam ahead of a weather event.
There's been widespread support from the primary sector for the Government's announcement on changes to freshwater farm plans that come under the Natural Environment Bill, which is now set to replace the existing RMA.
A partnership between state-owned enterprise Pāmu (Landcorp Farming Limited) and charity Meet the Need is putting more than quality New Zealand beef into food bank parcels this year.
The Opportunity Party has faced criticism during the election campaign that its policies are too urban-focused and offer little for rural communities.
