MARKETS ▶▶▶ About DairyNZ and LIC


DairyNZ is a dairy farmer organisation that provides education, is involved in strate gies including new efficient ways of farming, footprint reduction and knowl- edge sharing amongst farmers. The organisation also works with governments. For more info: https://www.dairynz.co.nz/ LIC is a dairy farmer owned co-operative which empowers livestock farmers through the delivery of superior genetics and technology. For more info: https://www.lic.co.nz/


3.67 million cows were herd tested in 2018-19, up 1.6% from the previous season, the highest on record.


improving their environmental management in recent years and they have been doing this while stepping up their on- farm efficiency to produce more milk from fewer cows. More efficient milk production has benefits in areas such as green- house gas emissions and nutrient losses.” The sector wants to take it’s achievements further. The dairy sector in New Zealand operates on a pasture-based system and is one of the lowest greenhouse gas emitters of the world’s dairy sectors and the goal is to reduce emissions even more. When it comes to the environment and the dairy sector, fu- ture plans are underway. In October last year, the Govern- ment gave the greenlight for a proposal from the agricultural sector called He Waka Eke Noa (Maori for: We are all in this to- gether). This will see the sector work with the Government to build a farm-level emissions framework for 2025 onwards. All farms in New Zealand will have Farm Environment Plans by 2025, under this agreement. The plans will include informa- tion on where emissions are from and how the farm will manage this using good farming practices. A continuous uptake of herd improvement has been seen in the sector too, farmers are seeking higher performing and more efficient dairy cows through the use of herd testing and artificial breeding. “New Zealand farmers are farming with improved precision and taking advantage of herd improvement services to pro- duce more with less,” McNee adds. He further states that this increased investment on herd improvement shows farmers’ commitment to improve the quality of their herd assets to drive better sustainability and productivity outcomes. It is without doubt that more and more farmers globally are looking ahead at farming practices that will withstand farm- ing challenges, ensure animal well-being, and contribute to a better environment. New Zealand has shown that with focus- ing on productivity and efficiency it is very well possible to have increased output with less input, proving that efficiency is more than a step in the right direction.


DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle.


This article was made possible with the kind cooperation of DairyNZ.


Figure 1 - Breed breakdown in New Zealand. 0.5%


9.3% 8.6%


Holstein-Friesian / Jersey crossbreed


48.5% 33.1%


Holstein-Friesian Jersey Ayrshire Other


LIC chief executive Wayne McNee. 12 ▶DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 7, No. 1, 2020


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