August 17, 2010

NZ dairy works to shake off tarnished image

New Zealand dairy farmers have launched a NZD2-million (US$1.42-million) ad campaign after recent bad press surrounding the industry.

The most recent scandal was Fonterra's link to a Chinese milk powder that allegedly caused breast growth in babies.

Fonterra's involvement in the scandal was disproved this week, but it is not the first incident to taint the credibility of the New Zealand dairy industry.

DairyNZ has launched a new campaign comparing New Zealand's population with the size of its cattle and favourable weather, pushing the line that despite being small, the country leads the world in dairy production.

The publicity has been damaging. The Chinese milk formula scandal came amidst concerns of ruined rivers and polluted water supplies due to dairy farming.

"There are still 40% non-compliance with resource consents on dairy farms and 8% serious non-compliance, but recovery of these ecosystems are going to take decades, if not generations," says Ross Millichamp of North Canterbury Fish and Game.

"We have got issues to work through particularly around footprint and effluent management as well," he adds.

The dairy industry hopes the campaign will at least be a start to bridging the gap between town and country.