Agricultural greenhouse gases & the New Zealand dairy sector
Quick facts
- Forty-nine percent of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture.
- At the same time, more than 38% of New Zealand's merchandisable exports come from agriculture.
- Dairy is New Zealand's biggest export earner.
- New Zealand is the number one contributor to the global dairy trade.
What practices have changed since 1990?
- Consistent supply of high quality feed
- Increased use of supplements (mazie sileage, PKE, brassicas)
- Improved pasture, irrigation and fertilizer management
- Improved genetic merit of animals through breeding and herd testing
What effect have these changes had on productivity?
- Increased milk yield per cow (kg MS/cow)
- Increased milk yield per hectare (kg MS/ha)
- Milk yield is closer to the animal's genetic potential
What's the effect on greenhouse gas emissions intensity?
These practice changes result in lower emissions intensity per unit of product and a greater proportion of feed goes to milk production rather than maintenance.
What's the latest from industry?
DairyNZ Read more
Fonterra Read more
Summary tables of practice change and effects
| On farm change since 1990 | Effect on farm productivity | Effect on emissions intensity (net) |
|
Consistent supply of high quality feed Increased use of supplements (mazie sileage, PKE, brassicas) Improved pasture, irrigation and fertilizer management Improved genetic merit of animals through breeding and herd testing |
Increased milk yield per cow (kg MS/cow) Increased milk yield per hectare (kg MS/ha) * Milk yield is closer to the animal's genetic potential* |
Lower * Greater proportion of feed goes to milk production rather than maintenance * |
What else is being done to lower emissions on farm?
The NZAGRC is working in partnership with the PGgRc to explore options to mitigate GHGs on New Zealand farms. An overview publication is available for download
NZAGRC_PGgRC_What are we doing_ed2.pdf (17.12MB)
or you can read about our research programme
More information
Efficient farming
28/09/17
Efficient farming Can reduce methane a bit But more must be done
OPINION: Farmers advocate takes wrong message from climate reports - Andy Reisinger
24/08/17
As a climate scientist, I strongly rebut Tuesday's opinion piece by Robin Grieve who claimed he was relating facts from the Motu Research report, Cows, Sheep and Science: A Scientific Perspective on Biological Emissions from Agriculture, that I...
Professor Louis Schipper talks about soil carbon
14/06/17
Louis Schipper talks to Bryan Crump on RNZ Nights about soil carbon. He talks about soil organic matter, soil density, nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur), land use and the ways we can store more carbon in soil to reduce the amount of carbon...
Sharing New Zealand's success story
17/05/17
The Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance is documenting countries’ successes in reducing on-farm emissions intensity of livestock production at the same time as addressing other concerns related to increasing...
Fonterra: there are opportunities if we all work together
03/04/17
Francesca Eggleton, Fonterra's Manager, Group Environment recently presented at the New Zealand agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation conference. Read more
Greenhouse gas awareness of livestock's contribution to emissions rises among farmers
29/03/17
More farmers are aware of the impact of livestock on global warming, says an agricultural greenhouse research expert. New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre director Dr Harry Clark said farmer awareness of their...
Collaborative work investigating GHG emissions from dairy farms
31/08/16
During 2015/16, the dairy component of the programme has continued progress towards understanding potential for practical mitigation options to result in lower GHG footprints for dairy farming. Methane and nitrous oxide measurements on dairy...
What options are available to limit emissions growth?
31/08/16
Options to further enhance production efficiency New Zealand already operates a highly efficient and productive pastoral system. Over the past 20 years, farmers have steadily improved feed and nutrition, animal genetics, pasture management, and...
How can I estimate my on farm GHG emissions?
01/08/16
In New Zealand, In New Zealand, farmers can get a farm-level estimate of their greenhouse gas emissions (methane and nitrous oxide, and in some cases also energy use) using commercially available calculators, such as OVERSEER. These...
What is OVERSEER?
01/08/16
The most well-known calculator for estimating GHG emissions in farm is using is the nutrient budgeting tool OVERSEER®. This uses nitrogen inputs and outputs, as well as the number and productivity of animals, to calculate the unique nutrient...
The potential of using alternative pastures, forage crops and gibberellic acid to mitigate nitrous oxide emissions
21/05/16
Di, H. J., Cameron, K. C., Podolyan, A., Edwards, G. R., de Klein, C. A. M., Dynes, R., & Woods, R. (2016). The potential of using alternative pastures, forage crops and gibberellic acid to mitigate nitrous oxide emissions. [Article]. Journal...
1115 Rick Pridmore, Strategy and Investment Leader for Sustainability (DairyNZ)
07/05/15
Rick provided the conference delegates with an overview of the New Zealand investment landscape for reducing agricultural greenhouse gases. He highlighted that New Zealand is putting in a great deal of effort into reducing agricultural greenhouse...
Reducing New Zealand's agricultural emissions: What we are doing (Edition 2)
28/04/15
This publication provides an overview of the GHG mitigation work been undertaken in New Zealand.
