<h3>Quick facts</h3>
<ul>
<li>Forty-nine percent of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture.</li>
<li>At the same time,&nbsp;more than 38%&nbsp;of New Zealand's merchandisable exports come from agriculture.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Dairy is&nbsp;New Zealand's biggest export earner.</li>
<li>New Zealand is the number one contributor to the global dairy trade.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What practices have changed since 1990?</h3>
<ul>
<li>Consistent supply of high quality feed</li>
<li>Increased use of supplements (mazie sileage,&nbsp; PKE, brassicas)</li>
<li>Improved pasture, irrigation and fertilizer management</li>
<li>Improved genetic merit of animals through breeding and herd testing</li>
</ul>
<h3>What effect have these changes had on productivity?</h3>
<ul>
<li>Increased milk yield per cow (kg MS/cow)</li>
<li>Increased milk yield per hectare (kg MS/ha)</li>
<li>Milk yield is closer to the animal's genetic potential</li>
</ul>
<h3>What's the effect on greenhouse gas emissions intensity?</h3>
<p>These practice changes result in lower emissions intensity per unit of product and a greater proportion of feed goes to milk production rather than maintenance.</p>
<h3>What's the latest from industry?</h3>
<p>DairyNZ <strong><a href="dairynz.html">Read more</a></strong></p>
<p>Fonterra <strong><a href="fonterras-approach-to-climate-change.html">Read more</a></strong></p>
<h3>Summary tables of practice change and effects</h3>
<table style="width: 100%;" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>On farm change since 1990</strong></td>
<td><strong>Effect on farm productivity&nbsp;</strong></td>
<td><strong>Effect on emissions intensity (net)&nbsp;</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Consistent supply of high quality feed</p>
<p>Increased use of supplements (mazie sileage,&nbsp; PKE, brassicas)</p>
<p>Improved pasture, irrigation and fertilizer management</p>
<p>Improved genetic merit of animals through breeding and herd testing</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Increased milk yield per cow (kg MS/cow)</p>
<p>Increased milk yield per hectare (kg MS/ha)</p>
<p>* Milk yield is&nbsp;closer to the animal's genetic potential*</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>&nbsp;Lower</p>
<p>* Greater proportion of feed goes to milk production rather than maintenance *</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>What else is being done to lower emissions on farm?</h3>
<p>The NZAGRC is working in partnership with the PGgRc to explore options to mitigate GHGs on New Zealand farms.&nbsp; An overview publication is available for download here or you can read about <a href="research.html">our <strong>research programme</strong></a></p>
<p><span class="mix_file"><a title="NZAGRC_PGgRC_What are we doing_ed2.pdf" href="user/file/1302/NZAGRC_PGgRC_What%20are%20we%20doing_ed2.pdf"><img src="images/icons/icon_pdf.gif" alt="pdf" width="16" height="16" align="absmiddle" border="0" vspace="1" /> NZAGRC_PGgRC_What are we doing_ed2.pdf</a> <span style="font-size: 80%;">(17.12MB)</span></span></p>
<h3>More information</h3>