Kiwi dairy farms need to start producing A2 milk
Professor Keith Woodford saw the potential in A2 years ago and is urging New Zealand dairy farmers to adapt their herds to produce the milk.
Keith Woodford explains why MPI’s spring focus on bulk-milk testing of healthy cows for Mycoplasma bovis is a hit and miss affair
Bulk-milk testing of all New Zealand milk is about to begin, with three tests of every herd. However, this will only be from cows that are healthy, unless a farmer has failed to identify a sick cow. This is because sick cows are given antibiotics and their milk does not go into the vat.
Dairy industry's big challenge: a strategic reset
OPINION: There is great unease within the New Zealand dairy industry. Many farmers feel that the urban community plus a range of events have turned against them. Most are still proud to be dairy farmers but there is lots of stress and anxiety.
Going sour: Why Fonterra is under attack as never before
As an old story tells it, the dairy industry tsars who wanted to create Fonterra rolled up to Helen Clark’s Government with the legislation already written by a law firm and the 2001 date by which they wanted it implemented.
Insight: The blight of Mycoplasma bovis
The government has entered the fight against Mycoplasma bovis all guns blazing with a promise to spend almost one billion dollars trying to eradicate the cattle disease. Whether it will succeed remains uncertain.
Dairy experts sceptical over Mycoplasma bovis eradication
Attempts to eradicate Mycoplasma Bovis in New Zealand is a world first – and dairy experts are sceptical over whether Mycoplasma bovis can actually be eradicated here.
Cow plan relies on flawed tracking system
The Government plans to eradicate mycoplasma bovis over 10 years, but will start by allowing mass stock movements from Friday that rely on a discredited tracking system, Thomas Coughlan reports.
Peak cows, peak milk and Fonterra's dilemma
ANALYSIS: New Zealand reached peak dairy cows at 5.02 million in 2014-15 and numbers are now in slow decline. Peak milk was reached the same year at close to 1.9 billion kilograms of milk solids and has since bounced around a few per cent lower.
A2 milk comes of age on the world market
ANALYSIS: It is only six weeks since mega-sized Fonterra in New Zealand and medium-sized Freedom Foods in Australia announced their intention to produce A2 dairy products, these being products free of A1 beta-casein.
Fonterra has no choice but to partner with a2 Milk
ANALYSIS: It is now more than a month since Fonterra and The a2 Milk Company (A2M) announced that they are going to work together.