New Zealand government launches Dairy Grass-Fed Administrative Standard

The New Zealand Government’s Ministry for Primary Industries has launched a voluntary standard to define what constitutes a New Zealand pasture-based farming system. Fonterra is proud that our Grass & Pasture Fed Standard and Fonterra’s Trusted Goodness Scheme complies with the New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Standard. 

The New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard requires that dairy animals that comprise the dairy processors annual milk pool have a diet of at least 90% (freshweight) on a 3-year rolling average of qualifying grass-fed feed types and must on average graze pasture or forage crops at least 340 days per year for at least 8 hours per day. Fonterra’s data shows its farmers’ cows are on average 96% grass-fed and spend more than 350 days on pasture*, which is above the standard’s requirements.

Fonterra is a long-standing advocate of New Zealand’s natural dairy advantage and has been promoting this through its own grass-fed scheme since 2016. Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell says meeting the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard will help the Co-op strengthen its competitive advantage in international markets.
 

Meeting the New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Standard marks a significant milestone, strengthening our grass-fed claims and protecting New Zealand’s position in market.  Ultimately, meeting this standard allows us to give you and your consumers greater trust and confidence in our grass-fed claims.

*Our Fonterra New Zealand cows spend on average 350 days grazing on pasture and have a diet which is 96% grass, calculated on an ‘as consumed’ basis and averaged over the three seasons data from 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. Grass-fed means cows mainly grazing on grass and crops in paddocks where they roam. Visit  nzmp.com/grass-fed for more information.