Our Innovations / Environment

• Technology
• Environment

About our environmental innovations

Good environmental stewardship is at the core of our business and we are acutely aware of our obligation to make the most of our environment by maximising and adding value to what our pristine resources provide. New Zealand has an enviable track record of food safety, reflecting both geographic isolation and strict quarantine standards.

The company is also actively promoting education, assistance and promotes active sustainable environmental management of land and other natural on farm resources through its support of the Meat and Wool NZ (M&WNZ) Monitor Farm programme and farm business awards programmes in Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay.

Our Environmental Policy demonstrates our commitment.

In-depth information

On the farm

As part of a broader environmental responsibility, we encourage our suppliers to embrace environmental responsibilities in their activities. One way we do this is through our farm assurance programme. We set an example on our own farms such as the wetland developed at Takapau with support from the local council.  We provide support to monitor farms that demonstrate sound environmental management. These properties help demonstrate to other farmers that sustainable farming is not only practical and achievable, but also rewarding and profitable.

At Plant

Silver Fern Farms is constantly monitoring environmental conditions and has made substantial investment in its ongoing waste management programme. Treatment and disposal of wastewater is challenging for many processing sites.  We have a number of sites that irrigate to land, returning nutrients to the soil and increasing farm productivity At Finegand, a chemical wastewater treatment plant has been installed with the sludge produced mixed with wood waste and burnt in a bio-fuel boiler reducing coal use for steam production – an industry first.

Carbon Footprint

With most of our products delivered to northern hemisphere customers, we want to ensure that the carbon footprint of beef, lamb and venison is as low or lower than that of local producers in those countries.  The natural advantages of our pastoral farming systems allow us to do this, despite the long travel distances by sea.

Food Safety

New Zealand livestock are raised in an environment of wide, open spaces and minimal interference. At every stage of the animal’s life, growers work towards delivering a product that is as pure and natural as possible, without compromising the well-being of individual animals. Our farm assurance and quality assurance programmes ensure fencing; yarding, livestock handling and record keeping are all of the highest standards.

New Zealand is in the fortunate position of never having had an outbreak of foot and mouth disease or an incident of BSE or related disease. The latter is reflected in the allocation of Group 1 BSE classification to NZ by the EU.