Quick facts

Forty-nine percent of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture.
At the same time, more than 38% of New Zealand's merchandisable exports come from agriculture. 
New Zealand's beef, wool and sheep meat industries contribute eight, 27 and 75% respectively, to their world marketplaces.

What's changed in the beef & sheep sectors since 1990 in on farm practices?
Beef

Reduction in breeding herd numbers
Increased number of finishing cattle - use of dairy origin animals for finishing
Feed management strategies
Pasture management strategies

Sheep

Breeding and flock testing for animals with improved genetic merit (gorwth, reproduction)
Use of pregnancy scanning
Hogget mating
Pasture management (growth quality)
Optimisation of stock numbers to pasture growth

What's the impact of these on farm changes on productivity?
Beef

Faster growth rates
Increased finished weight of animal
Increased meat yield per hectare (kg meat/ha) 

Sheep

Increased lambing percentage
Increased number of offspring per ewe
Increased finished weight of animal (lamb)
Increased meat yield per hectare (kg meat/ha)

What's the effect of these changes on emissions intensity? 
Emissions intensity of New Zealand beef and sheep sector is lower.  For the beef sector, a great proportion of feed goes to production rather than maintenance and for the sheep sector, a lower ewe population is producing the equivalent lamb meat.
What else are the beef and sheep sectors doing about emissions?
Beef+Lamb New Zealand Read more
On farm practice change summary tables
Beef



On farm practice
Effect on farm productivity
Effect on emissions intensity (net)



Reduction in breeding herd numbers
 
Increased number of finishing cattle - use of dairy origin animals for finishing 
 
Feed management strategies
 
Pasture management strategies 


Faster growth rates
 
Increased finished weight of animal
 
Increased meat yield per hectare (kg meat/ha) 


Lower
 
* A greater proportion of feed going to production rather than maintenance *




Sheep



On farm practice
Effect on farm productivity
Effect on emissions intensity (net)



Breeding and flock testing for animals with improved genetic merit (gorwth, reproduction)
 
Use of pregnancy scanning
 
Hogget mating
 
Pasture management (growth quality)
 
Optimisation of stock numbers to pasture growth


Increased lambing percentage 
 
Increased number of offspring per ewe
 
Increased finished weight of animal (lamb)
 
Increased meat yield per hectare (kg meat/ha) 
 


Lower
 
* Lower ewe population needed to produce equivalent lamb meat *