A2 Milk is partnering with Lincoln University to launch a new initiative to support sustainable dairy farming projects in New Zealand.
A2 Milk will provide up to $500,000 to the Farm Sustainability Fund in the first year to enable fund grants for farm projects.
The fund is open to NZ farms that supply milk under contract with Mataura Valley Milk or Synlait Milk for use in products for A2 Milk.
“The fund will bring forward projects that might otherwise have been marginal or difficult to finance, and that will lead to long-term benefits for our farmers, their communities and the environment,” Mataura Valley Milk chief executive Bernard Maysays.
Synlait Milk chief executive Grant Watson says the fund is an “excellent complement to our existing on-farm programmes, and we have no doubt that the environmental and economic gains from these projects will be a catalyst for further positive change in our industry”.
Applications for this year’s awards will be open from May 23 and close on July 4.
The assessment criteria include alignment with A2 Milk’s sustainability objectives and one or more of its key environmental improvement themes such as lowering greenhouse gas emissions and increasing on-farm carbon sequestration, among others.
Funding is generally available for up to $35,000 per award.
“We know there are farmer suppliers with innovative and important projects they would be keen to get under way,” A2 Milk chief executive David Bortolussi says.
“It is through like-minded partnerships such as with A2 Milk, that we can effectively make the most of our collective expertise in helping shape a better, more sustainable world,” Lincoln University research management office director Professor Travis Glare says.
