Fonterra’s Net Zero Pilot Dairy Farm cuts emissions intensity by 4.5%

Fonterra and Nestlé aim to create New Zealand’s first commercially viable net-zero dairy farm in ten years. Photo / Christine Cornege

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Fonterra has shared promising results from its Net Zero Pilot Dairy Farm in Taranaki, revealing a 4.5% reduction in emissions intensity during the 2024-25 season.

Charlotte Rutherford, Fonterra’s Director of Sustainability, said that the project, run in partnership with Nestlé, aimed to create the first commercially viable net-zero dairy farm within a decade.

“We get to work with the Dairy Trust Taranaki to trial emissions reduction solutions,” Rutherford told The Country Sport Breakfast’s Brian Kelly.

“And the season that’s just been, the 24-25 season, we’ve reduced emissions intensity by 4.5% compared to the previous season.”

The improvement was driven by changes such as increasing to twice-a-day milking and reducing high-emissions imported feeds.

Rutherford said these adjustments also boosted milk production by 9.5% per hectare.

“Overall, that means our absolute emissions increased as well with that increase in milk production.

“But we have to make sure that the farm is profitable as well as reducing emissions.

“And we’re trialling different strategies to try and strike that balance.”

Looking ahead, the farm will scale up its use of EcoPond technology.

Rutherford said that in the farm’s test unit, this had already cut methane from the effluent system by about 97%.

“We’re going to move to full pond dosing, and we’re hoping that would reduce the farm’s footprint by probably up to 5%,” Rutherford said.

Other initiatives include a biochar trial to boost soil carbon and sequestration, complementing the 4500 native trees planted last year.

The team will also test new calf-feeding systems to improve growth, labour efficiency, and long-term performance, reducing emissions per kilo of milk solids.

Rutherford emphasised that the pilot farm’s findings will help farmers adopt practical strategies to lower emissions without sacrificing productivity and profitability.

“We’re going to trial things,” she said.

“Some of them are going to work and give us really great results, and some of them are going to give us valuable insights.”

Rutherford said it was expected that things would fluctuate as Fonterra worked towards its net zero ambition and learned what did and didn’t work along the way.

“But the most important thing will be sharing those insights with farmers to help them to decide what’s going to work on their farm and what will help their reduction journey as well as the co-op’s.”