New $46m investment for dairy’s future 

Backed by a $46 million investment from government and industry partners, Responsible Dairy is a new seven-year programme led by DairyNZ to help farmers improve productivity, profitability and environmental performance. It was announced by the government at Fieldays in June.

A key part of the programme will be developing a network of 35 to 40 partner farms across the country to showcase existing high-performing and low-footprint systems. These farms will also act as demonstration sites for testing and demonstrating new technologies, evaluating system changes, and providing practical insights for farmers across different regions.

DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker says while the dairy industry is a significant contributor to the country’s economy, productivity has largely plateaued since 2015.

“This shows us there is a clear need to lift performance across farms. Responsible Dairy aims to support farmers to adopt proven and emerging practices, technologies and systems that deliver both efficiency gains and reduced environmental footprint.”

He says the programme builds on more than a decade of investment by farmers in effluent management, infrastructure and environmental stewardship, and the positive outcomes that are being seen as a result of this work.

Responsible Dairy’s long-term goals include a 20% increase in milksolids production from existing farms and land use change, and a 13% lift in sector profitability. Environmental goals are focused on reducing nitrogen leaching per hectare by 20%, increasing riparian planting on farms by 60% and protected wetland areas by 50%.

“Global competitors are moving quickly and we need to continue evolving to maintain our competitive edge and protect the value of New Zealand dairy,” Campbell says.