NZ can lead the way with organic milk – but the Govt needs to step up

The Government should help cash strapped dairy farmers by assisting them to transition to higher premium organic milk production, the Green Party said today.

“Organic milk is fetching an extra $1.75 per kilo of milk solids over Fonterra’s forecast $4.15 farmgate price, and internationally processors are crying out for it,” said Green Party organics spokesperson Steffan Browning.

“The Government should recognise the economic and environmental benefits of organic milk production for New Zealand; these include higher returns for farmers from less intensively-stocked farms, less water pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

“Finance Minister Bill English said in Parliament last year that farmers will convert to organic if they want the higher premium, but there are significant barriers to this.

“There needs to be changes to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) and a reinstatement of the Organic Advisory Programme to help farmers transition to organic milk production.

“The Government can market New Zealand’s organic products more effectively, investing in organic production technologies through its programmes, and setting targets for organic production as they do in countries like Denmark.

“Let’s take this opportunity to be the world’s key supplier of organic milk – an opportunity that is under-supplied, and that would be great for brand New Zealand,” Mr Browning said.

Volunteer

The Greens are proud to be driven by passionate people like you. Today we need your help to take action on the biggest issues facing New Zealand.

Action

Save Auckland's Climate Budget

Sign the petition to stop Mayor Wayne Brown's proposal for dangerous cuts to climate and environmental programmes that protect us from extreme weat...

Action

No New Mines 2023

Action

Expand Voting

Now more than ever, young people in Aotearoa are impacted by Government decisions, and they deserve to have a say. We are calling on all Members of...

Action

End Intensive Winter Grazing

Sign the petition to Labour Ministers, to move faster in bringing regulations into force and end intensive winter grazing.

Action

Trains for Climate

Add your name to our open letter urging the Minister for Finance Grant Robertson to save our passenger trains between Wellington, the Wairarapa and...

Action

Healthy Oceans 2022

Join our Healthy Oceans Crew to help us keep the health and protection of our oceans high on the Labour Government’s political agenda.

Action

It's time: A Ministry for Rainbow Communities

Join our call asking the Prime Minister to establish a Ministry for Rainbow Communities that can champion Rainbow issues.

Action

No new mines on conservation land

Sign the open letter asking Labour Ministers to stick to their promise of banning new mining projects on conservation land.

Action

Allow community ownership of our buses

Public transport is an essential service and helps to tackle the climate crisis by reducing our carbon emissions. But there are barriers to communi...

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Agriculture Announcements

Story

Greens celebrate passing of Organic Products and Production Bill

Following decades of work by the Green Party alongside the organics sector, people will finally be able to be confident that products labelled orga...

Report shows reducing actual farming emissions vital

Evidence shows that relying on offsets to reduce agriculture’s impact on the climate will not work, the Green Party says.

Government handing Fonterra a free pass

Minister O’Connor should immediately pause the Government’s proposed Fonterra Bill and review its potential impact on the climate, the Green Party ...

Pricing must cut agriculture emissions

Cutting climate pollution must be the number one priority for Cabinet when considering how it intends to price agricultural emissions, the Green Pa...

Agricultural emissions proposal falls short

The He Waka Eke Noa agricultural emissions pricing proposal leaves more questions than answers, the Green Party says.

Phase out PKE as part of climate plan

The Green Party is calling on the Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor to phase out the use of the Palm Kernel Expeller (PKE) on farms to help ...

Petition

Take action to protect our oceans

We’re taking the health of our oceans seriously and our Thriving Oceans Plan sets out exactly how the Green Party will protect them so we all can e...

TAKE ACTION

Thriving Oceans

Oceans are the lifeblood of our planet and home to thousands of taonga species, providing us with nourishing food to feed our families, supporting...

Farming for the Future

Here in Aotearoa, we can have a thriving and sustainable farming sector that is good for farmers, good for people, and good for the planet. By mak...

Supporting farmers to be part of the solution

Our farmers are already leading the way toward climate-friendly agriculture - but governments must support them to go further, faster. The Green ...

SIGN ON

Policy

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Policy

The Green Party will support the agricultural sector through a just transition to reduce its emissions, minimise harmful inputs and practices, rege...

Policy

Forestry Policy

The Green Party will support a viable, innovative and stable forestry industry and ensure plantation forests are managed and harvested in alignment...