Food insecurity
OPINION: Good on the UK'S NFU for battling to get supermarkets to prioritise local farmers' produce.
Milk consumption in the United Kingdom has dropped by just under 50% since 1974.
The fall in UK’s per capita consumption of milk is greater than in the US — it experienced a reduction of 40% of per capita liquid milk consumption since 1975.
The UK findings were reported within an analysis by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
According to AHDB, despite 98.5% of UK households still buying milk to drink, the average per capita consumption has fallen from 140 litres per year (2.7 litres per week), to just 70 litres (1.4 litres per week).
But it’s not all doom and gloom — AHDB reports that value-added dairy products like cheese are experiencing growth.
AHDB says that the volume of milk going into UK cheese has increase by 1.09 billion litres in the past ten years.
In contrast, the volume of milk going into liquid manufacturing has dropped by 720 million litres in the same timeframe.
Livestock can be bred for lower methane emissions while also improving productivity at a rate greater than what the industry is currently achieving, research has shown.
OPINION: The New Zealand red meat sector, with support from the Government, has upped the ante to retain and expand its niche in the valuable Chinese market - and the signs are looking positive.
Keratin extracted from New Zealand wool could soon find its way into products used to minimise osteoporosis, promote gut health, and other anti-inflammatories, says Keraplast chief executive Howard Moore.
DairyNZ has seen a significant increase in the number of farmers improving their wintering practices, which results in a higher standard of animal care and environmental protection.
Every time people from overseas see photographs of cows up to their hocks in mud it's bad for New Zealand.
An eight million dollar, three year campaign to get wealthy Chinese to buy New Zealand beef and lamb is now underway.
OPINION: Fonterra may have sold its dairy farms in China but the appetite for collaboration with the country remains strong.
OPINION: The Listener's latest piece on winter grazing among Southland dairy farmers leaves much to be desired.