Fonterra, Lactalis, Saputo and Danone are among 13 global dairy companies that have worsened climate pollution based on the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy report in the US.
The report stated the Fonterra has increased emissions in recent years and that these 13 dairy giants have pushed farmers into debt.
“Fonterra is now attracting heavy criticism on the international stage for its global role in the climate crisis. That should be a wake up call for the company and for the Government. There are too many cows being farmed with too much synthetic fertiliser in New Zealand. Intensive dairying is now the country’s worst greenhouse gas emitter,” Greenpeace campaigner Gen Toop said.
NZ’s agriculture sector makes up 49 per cent of emissions, that has risen by 13.5 per cent since the 1990s. The Government said that the increased in pollution is due to the doubling of the dairy herd and a 600 per cent increase in using synthetic fertiliser, reported Scoop.
“We have to rapidly reduce emissions, starting now. In New Zealand that means far fewer cows and a swift transition away from intensive livestock into more plant-based regenerative farming. The Government needs to ban synthetic fertiliser, which is a key driver behind the inflated dairy herd, and use some of the $20 billion post-Covid stimulus budget on accelerating the transition to more plant-based, regenerative farming,” Toop added.
The report further questioned Fonterra’s corporate structure and investment strategy that led to huge losses incurred by farmers in 2019.
“Intensive dairying is working for Fonterra’s senior managers with their million dollar pay cheques, but it isn’t working for the climate, for our rivers, or for farmers either,” Toop added.
