Wednesday, 15 May 2019 09:55

Synlait backs Zero Carbon Bill

Written by 
Synlait’s chief executive Leon Clement. Synlait’s chief executive Leon Clement.

South Canterbury processor Synlait is throwing its support behind the government’s “bold’ Zero Carbon Bill.

The company says the targets in the Bill are aligned with Synlait’s commitment to sustainability announced in June 2018.

Synlait has committed to achieve on-farm reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by 35% per kilogram of milk solids (kgMS) by 2028, including a reduction of methane by 30%.

Synlait also has targets for its manufacturing sites and supply chain including reductions of GHGs by 50% per kilogram of finished product by 2028.

“We believe we need to play our part and help lead our industry to a low emissions future. We’re making good progress and exploring new avenues,” says Synlait’s chief executive Leon Clement. 

“As part of this work we have been investigating methane reduction and are pursuing some encouraging technologies that decouple the correlation between methane generation and herd size,” says Clement.

Synlait’s farming programme Lead With Pride was also given a boost in June 2018 under the new sustainability strategy. Higher incentive payments have led to many more farmers moving towards certification, with Lead With Pride certified milk supply expected to increase 40% by the end of FY19.

The programme recognises and rewards Synlait’s milk suppliers who achieve dairy farming best practice. 

More like this

Don't hold back!

OPINION: ACT MP Mark Cameron isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but he certainly calls it how he sees it, holding nothing back when ‘climate scientists’ had a crack at Kiwi farmers recently:

Emissions versus warming

OPINION: Soon New Zealand farmers will be asked to know their greenhouse gas (GHG) number. There are a vast number of GHG calculators available, all giving a different answer and none of them allowing for your pasture to be viewed as a CO2 ‘sequesterer’.

Changing Climate: A taste of the future

A high-resolution vineyard view of ecoclimatic indicators, and how they impact wine quality, can turn “climate insights into strategy”, says climate risk specialist Pete Taylor. “Whether you’re a grower, winemaker, or industry leader, understanding the future is key to staying ahead.”

No reason to demonise farming

OPINION: New Zealand has said it is going to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by ‘a lot’ and ‘in a short time’. One of those gases is methane. Our biggest producer of methane is livestock farming.

Bye bye Paris?

OPINION: At its recent annual general meeting, Federated Farmers’ Auckland province called for New Zealand to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Featured

Brendan Attrill scoops national award for sustainable farming

Brendan Attrill of Caiseal Trust in Taranaki has been announced as the 2025 National Ambassador for Sustainable Farming and Growing and recipient of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the National Sustainability Showcase at in Wellington this evening.

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

RainWave set to cause a splash

Traditional spreading via tankers or umbilical systems have typically discharged effluent onto splash-plates, resulting in small droplet sizes, which in…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Misguided campaign

OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is…

Fieldays goes urban

OPINION: Once upon a time the Fieldays were for real farmers, salt of the earth people who thrived on hard…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter