'Grand Alliance' growing grass-fed beef exports to China
Alliance Group and Grand Farm have signed a strategic co-operation agreement with a focus on delivering more premium New Zealand grass-fed beef to Chinese consumers.
Alliance Group says decarbonisation projects at three South Island processing plants is a major boost to its goal of reducing its carbon footprint.
Alliance Group and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) will co-fund the projects at the co-operative’s Lorneville and Mataura plants in Southland and at Smithfield plant in Timaru. Together, the plants employ approximately 3,000 people at peak season.
As part of the decarbonisation project, Alliance will install an electrode boiler to reduce the use of existing coal fired boilers at its Lorneville plant near Invercargill, saving 11,739 tonnes of carbon per annum.
The co-operative will also replace the existing main coal fired boiler at its Mataura plant with a high temperature heat pump system and small diesel boiler used only for peaking, saving 6,401 tonnes of carbon per annum and significantly improving the air quality for local residents.
In the third project, Alliance will capture waste heat from the refrigeration plant at Smithfield to replace coal use for process heat, saving 3,811 tonnes of carbon per annum.
The emissions savings from the decarbonisation projects represent the equivalent of taking more than 8,000 average sized passenger cars off the road.
“In 2019, Alliance Group set a goal of ending the use of coal at our plants within 10 years,” says David Surveyor, chief executive of Alliance Group.
“We have been tracking the carbon emissions from our plants, examining other fuel options across our network and rolling out a range of energy-saving projects. The co-operative aims to cut our carbon footprint significantly and this investment will help us reach that goal faster.
“It marks another milestone in our Energy Transition Pathway developed in collaboration with EECA to decarbonise our seven processing facilities and secure a low emissions future for the co-operative.
“We are proud to be contributing to New Zealand industry’s decarbonisation journey. This investment also enables us to keep jobs in the region, will stimulate the local economy and support local employment.
“Importantly, adopting clean technology means a healthier work environment and air for our people and our communities.”
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
A leading financial and banking advisor says he doubts if most dairy farmers fully understand the dynamics of banking.
Dairy farmers are shoring up their balance sheets, with almost $1.7 billion of debt repaid in the six months to March 2025.
Virtual fencing company Halter is going global but for founder Craig Piggott, New Zealand farmers will always remain their main partners.
A former Fonterra executive is the new chair of the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ).
New Federated Farmers national dairy chair Karl Dean is looking forward to tackling the issues facing the sector.
OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the…
OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left…