NZMP Organic Advantage

• Animal wellbeing on organic farms is maintained through comprehensive preventative planning which incorporates nutritional supplementation and herbal support as required
• Effective preventative health programmes reduce the number of animals that need treatment. However, if an animal does become unwell, there are many certified organic animal treatments which can be used to support a speedy recovery
• Fonterra believes​ a strong farmer-veterinarian relationship supports animal wellbeing on-farm, and we encourage our farmers to develop and implement an Animal Wellbeing Plan with their veterinarian

The vast landscapes, rich volcanic soils, and temperate climate of New Zealand are an ideal combination for organic farming. We’re proud of the farmers in our co-operative who have gone that step further to achieve organic certification. By drawing on this rich resource and building on years of farming experience, we can achieve….

• A lower average stocking rate: the average organic dairy farm in New Zealand has a lower stocking rate per farm of 300 cows compared to 440 cows in the average non-organic herd.
• “A sustainable increase in profitability, with a lower environmental footprint”: as stated in the NZ Organic Sector Market Report, based on an independent NZ case study of Pāmu dairy farms undergoing conversion.
• Maintained animal health metrics: our farmers have reported since converting fully to organic that they have maintained or improved animal health metrics including production per cow and reproductive performance
• Lower environmental footprint: our farmers have reported lower nitrogen losses and reduced greenhouse gasses per hectare since converting fully to organic. As stated in the NZ Organic Sector Market Report based on an independent NZ case study of Pāmu dairy farms undergoing conversion these reductions were measured as:
  • 29-49% lower nitrogen losses per hectare
  • 30-35% reduced greenhouse gases per hectare