So, I’ve been thinking about our dairy industry, and I reckon it’s facing existential threats on a number of fronts. We know the environmental issues – water pollution, habitat loss, deforestation, methane and CO2 emissions. Animal welfare is also an issue, for example the ethical treatment of male calves.
And then there’s tech. Lab-grown milk protein is a thing now, and plant-based dairy is seeing big gains. Fonterra’s even investing into lab-grown milk proteins. See https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/130551099/labmade-milk-getting-the-creaminess-without-the-climate-pollution for other companies in NZ making lab-grown milk. When China realises mass production of casein in labs, demand for our milk powder will… evaporate. And that milk powder, is, what, 95% of the demand?
I don’t see how we can just ‘adapt’ dairy farming. These aren’t small problems, they’re insurmountable challenges. And those pressures are only going to increase.
If these threats are unlikely to be mitigated, the focus must shift towards planning how to downscale dairy farming in a responsible way. Industries have come and gone before ( whaling, anyone? ). Anyone got some thoughts on this? What will NZ look like in 20 years?
NZ produces enough foodstuffs to feed 40 million people.
That only works when there are 35 million people in other countries willing to buy our stuff.
So from a domestic consumption point of view we can afford to lose something like 9 out of every 10 dairy farms and still feed all of NZ with dairy.
As it happens, approximately 35 million of those buyers are Chinese, whom are rapidly gearing up their own dairy industry, that market will crash/disappear in a few short years.
Dairy farmers should be planting trees on 90% of their paddocks right now or at least starting the paperwork at MSD.
But instead they are howling in protest about any farms being converted to Forestry! Apparently, if any land that can be used for Dairy, is not, it is a travesty. Just ask any Diary farmer (at least in Southland).
Dear diary, today I did not plant trees. I visited a trees community online. Seemed different to expected. Followed their instructions and now the world seems different.
The schadenfreude is palpable.
And to be fair, we need a lot more than dairy farms to eat - some basic veggies wouldn’t hurt!
Yup. Any good business owner would be looking to diversify their revenue streams.
A dairy farmer should be pivoting to production of anything else. Be that potatoes or pine.
Instead they’re whining that “the gummint” needs to do something or stop doing something or something.
Glad it’s converts are preaching to each other…