Finally, New Zealand is getting country-of-origin food labelling. But the recently released draft regulations are a missed opportunity to provide consumers with clarity around where their food comes from and how it’s produced, writes Hilary Pearson of Freedom Farms. It seems a bit laborious to rehash the already storied history of the Consumers’ Right to … Read more
Condemning agriculture and tarring all farmers with the same brush does nothing to further environmentalists’ cause, argues Adam Currie. Are there simply too many cows in our country? Or are urbanites just aggressively exacerbating the farming crisis from their sterile offices? The inconvenient truth is that both are true. We urgently need to change our … Read more
A quiet revolution is growing on New Zealand farms. As debates on water and emissions grind on, a new group of farmers are showing us the way forward – regenerating the land, and themselves, writes Daniel Eb. Mum has a saying: when you’re boxed into a corner, move the walls. It’s a reference to … Read more
Keen to choose ethically produced meat, but feeling thoroughly confused by the options in the butchery aisle? Here, Jane Lyons attempts to shine some light on the murky world of meat labelling, and shares some tips for making better choices. This story originally ran in Stone Soup There isn’t really a guide for meat terms … Read more
Environmental limits, changing tastes and a redefined social licence are driving consumers away from animal proteins. In part two of a series on the rise of veganism, Daniel Eb looks at what New Zealand must do to get on board. There is a sense of impending transformation ahead for agriculture in New Zealand. The world’s … Read more
He founded an ethical dairying company that would allow calves to stay with their mothers. But Happy Cow founder Glen Herud admits that his enterprise had failed. This post was originally published 21 April 2018 I’m a third generation dairy farmer. The milk business is the only business I know. Four years ago I decided … Read more
In 2018, Leonie Hayden decided she didn’t want to each as much meat for the good of the planet – but also realised ‘flexitarian’ is a stupid word, and we’re all going to die anyway. A revelation came to me this year in the form of a New York magazine article titled The Last Conversation … Read more
Against considerable odds, Glen Herud’s mission to create an ethical dairy company continues. With the help of supporters he has pivoted and is resurrecting Happy Cow Milk, and in this excerpt from his latest newsletter he describes how he’s solving the problem of bringing processing to the farm. Today’s newsletter has ended up as a … Read more
Choosing ethically produced meat and eggs at the supermarket is now a no-brainer for many of us, but not so long ago it wasn’t even an option. Like many people, Gregor Fyfe loves bacon. Always has. What he doesn’t love is not knowing how and where the pig that provided his bacon was raised. But … Read more
Glen Herud’s mission for an ethical dairying company isn’t over yet. In part two of his series documenting his attempts to launch Happy Cow Milk 2.0, Herud talks about single-use plastic in the dairy industry and the plan to get farmers to adopt the “Happy Cow way”. It’s been a very busy month scurrying around rebuilding … Read more
Beef + Lamb New Zealand says farmers care just as much about the environment as everyone else, and with its new Environment Strategy and Implementation plan, it plans to help sheep and beef farmers promote reduced carbon emissions, cleaner water, thriving biodiversity, and healthy productive soils. I recently spoke at a farmer’s event in Christchurch with … Read more
His company has been liquidated, his mobile milking shed sold for a song. But Glen Herud is not giving up on his ethical milk mission. Last month, we hit the wall and shut the doors – but our customers encouraged us to go on. I founded the Happy Cow Milk Company in 2012, and my mission … Read more
It’s not just a challenge on Fear Factor anymore. Charlie O’Mannin talks to locust farmer Malcolm Diack about farming locusts for human consumption, doing it within city limits and doing it ethically. Malcolm Diack loves animals. As we enter his suburban house in Caversham we’re greeted by a beautiful deaf Samoyed, two cats, and a tank of … Read more