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Sustainability is at the heart of New Zealand’s food and
beverage industry and our farmers, growers, fishers and
producers are deeply committed to not just playing our part in
reducing our environmental impact, but to leading the change.
Kaitiakitanga, the Māori concept of care for people and place,
now and for future generations, underpins everything we do.
We view the wellbeing of our ecosystems and our people as
all part of an interconnected whole.
Our seafood industry is considered the gold standard when
it comes to sustainability; our globally recognised,
pioneering fisheries management system covers almost
100 commercial species, with 94 percent of New Zealand’s
commercial catch coming from sustainable stocks.
New Zealand’s wine industry is known for its environmental
efforts, too. Ninety-six percent of our vineyard area is certified
sustainable, with a growing number of vineyards achieving
organic or carbon neutral status.
Our animal welfare standards rank among the world’s best, and
strict biosecurity and quality control processes and geographic
isolation have resulted in an animal disease-free status
recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health.
New Zealand’s farmers are dedicated to making our farms
more environmentally and socially sustainable – from actively
investigating ways to lower methane emissions from livestock,
including breeding for genetic improvement and experimenting
with changes to pasture grasses and supplementary animal
feeds, through to producing carbon zero milk and extensively
planting native vegetation on farms and protecting sensitive
waterways and wetlands.
Our drive to reduce the impact on our natural resources by
embracing technology and innovation has also led to greater
productivity and eco-efficiency gains, particularly in the sheep
and beef sector. Since the 1990s, both sheep and beef cattle
numbers have declined significantly, along with absolute
greenhouse gas emissions from sheep and beef farms –
they are 30 percent below 1990 levels – while the sector’s
contribution to GDP has more than doubled to NZ$7 billion.
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