Around the world, consumers want to know more about the companies who make their food, and how their food is made. Pasture-based-dairying has a long history in New Zealand.
Fonterra's Grass Fed and Cared for Cows Claims are certified by AsureQuality, an independent Conformity Assessment Body accredited by JAS-ANZ, against the Fonterra Grass and Pasture Fed Standard, and the Fonterra Cared for Cows Standard. The Fonterra New Zealand Grass and Pasture Fed Standard requires our cows to be at least 80% grass fed (on a dry weight basis) and spend 90%+ of non-milking time grazing outdoors at a minimum.
Grass Fed Goodness
Thanks to New Zealand’s temperate climate, our cows spend around 97% of non-milking time grazing outdoors on lush pastures. That’s 350 days of the year, which is more than anywhere else in the world*.
Our New Zealand cows consume 96%^ of their diet as grass, hay, silage and forage crops, so every drop of milk is full of natural goodness.
Cared for Cows
Care for animals’ wellbeing has been handed down through generations of Fonterra farmers, and every farm must meet high standards of animal welfare. Our independently-certified Fonterra Cared for Cows Standard proactively supports animal wellbeing.
New Zealand Dairy
A pasture-fed diet helps to make nutrient-rich milk. And thanks to our fresh air and fertile soils, New Zealand is the ideal natural environment to grow nutritious grass and make delicious dairy.
Trusted Goodness™ quality seal
People seek products they can trust to feed their families. Our Trusted Goodness™ quality seal is our promise to New Zealand and the world that what we're providing is a world-class product.
*Of the top 15 dairy exporting countries (based on annual dairy product export volumes in 2023 and including New Zealand), only Ireland operates a similar pasture-based model to New Zealand.
Based on Irish data presented in O’Brien et al. 2018, dairy cows in Ireland have access to pasture, on average, 255 days per year. In New Zealand, data from Fonterra Farm Dairy Records show that our Fonterra New Zealand cows spend, on average, 97% of their non-milking time outside on pasture which is more than 350 days of a year. This is calculated annually and reported as a rolling three-year average.
^on an ‘as consumed’ basis on a rolling three-year average – this is equivalent to 89% on a dry weight basis