Dairy goodness from lush New Zealand pastures. We farm alongside nature, following the seasonal pattern of pasture growth in New Zealand.
And thanks to New Zealand’s fertile soil, abundant sunshine and temperate climate, our NZ farmers’ cows spend over 350 days a year grazing on pasture¹.我们的农民的奶牛在饮食中享受多种营养丰富的牧草，包括草、青贮草、干草和饲料作物（包括豆类和十字花科植物）。
我们的养牛方式
恒天然的奶牛在草地上放牧。由于新西兰的牧场全年郁郁葱葱，奶牛可以全年在户外牧场上放牧。在该国的某些地区，奶牛可能会在冬季被圈养，但大部分时间都在户外放牧，只有在挤奶或需要时才会被赶入牛棚。²
我们大多数农民的奶牛饮食主要由直接在牧场上放牧的牧草组成，但有些农民会在需要时储存多余的饲料。
每一滴我们的草饲牛奶都充满营养
虽然所有乳制牛奶都含有独特的10种必需营养素，包括高质量蛋白质、生物可利用钙、钾、锌、镁以及维生素A、B2和B12，但我们来自草饲奶牛的新西兰牛奶还含有更高水平的β-胡萝卜素和健康脂肪酸——共轭亚油酸（CLA）。
我们是种植牧草的专家
作为一个国家，我们深知优质牧草对优质牛奶的重要性。这就是为什么新西兰多年来一直在研究改良牧草的遗传特性、质量以及种植方法。新西兰乳制品行业和恒天然在这方面进行了大量投资。新西兰乳制品行业和恒天然在这方面投入了多年的研究，以改良牧草的遗传特性、提高牧草质量以及改进种植方法。
我们的承诺
我们种植的所有作物均非转基因
在新西兰为我们的农民的奶牛种植的所有饲料植物都不是转基因的。在新西兰，有严格的法律禁止种植和培育转基因生物。
New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Administrative Standard
New Zealand has a rich history of over 100 years of dairy farming, and it is one of the best places in the world to farm grass-fed dairy.
The New Zealand Government’s Ministry for Primary Industries has created a standard to define what constitutes a grass-fed system in New Zealand. It specifies the requirements and attributes that must be met for grass-fed certification to be issued.
Fonterra is proud that our New Zealand milk meets the requirements of the New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Administrative Standard, giving our customers and consumers greater trust and confidence in our grass-fed claims.
Meeting the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard
This standard requires that the below minimum requirements must be met or exceeded:
- Dairy animals have a diet comprised of at least 90% (fresh weight) on a 3 year rolling average of qualifying grass-fed feed types.
- Dairy animals are on pasture or forage crops for at least 8 hours per day, on average 340 days per year.
Fonterra’s New Zealand milk meets the requirements of the New Zealand Grass-Fed standard.
For more information on the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard visit NZ Grass-Fed Administrative Standard | NZ Government
Third Party Certification
Our Fonterra New Zealand milk continues to be third party certified against our Fonterra Grass & Pasture Fed Standard annually by AsureQuality, an independent Conformity Assessment Body (CAB).
In 2025, our Fonterra Trusted Goodness scheme was assessed as having met the criteria to be recognised by Ministry for Primary Industries under the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard.
Fonterra’s performance exceeds the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard
Fonterra’s data shows our New Zealand farmers’ cows are on average 96% grass-fed and spend on average over 350 days a year on pasture, which is above the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard’s requirements. 96% is an average measured over the previous three seasons' data³, calculated on an ‘as consumed’ basis.
Grass-fed means cows mainly grazing on grass and crops in paddocks where they roam. Some farmers may use supplementary feed, from local and or imported sources, to help support cows nutrition. Fonterra uses the terms ‘grass’ and ‘pasture’ interchangeably. Grass includes grass, grass silage, hay and forage crops (including legumes and brassicas), this is consistent with the grass-fed feed types in the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard.
Grass and Pasture Fed FAQs
What do you mean by ‘Grass-fed’?
Grass-fed means cows mainly grazing on grass and crops in paddocks where they roam. On average, our Fonterra New Zealand cows consume 96% grass, and spend over 350 days a year grazing on pasture. 96% is an average measured over the previous three seasons' data, calculated on a ‘as consumed' basis. 350 days grazing on pasture is an average calculated across our Fonterra New Zealand farms. Some farmers may use supplementary feed, from local and or imported sources, to help support cows nutrition.
Fonterra uses the terms ‘grass’ and ‘pasture’ interchangeably. Grass includes grass, grass silage, hay and forage crops (including legumes and brassicas), this is consistent with the grass-fed feed types defined in the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard.
We measure the grass-fed diet ‘as consumed’ by our cows, which is consistent with “freshweight” defined in the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard. This data is reported at a Fonterra NZ milk pool level and is reviewed annually.
For more information on the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard visit NZ Grass-Fed Administrative Standard | NZ Government
How do you know that Fonterra’s New Zealand cows spend more time on pasture than anywhere else in the world?
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. The study: O’Brien, D., Moran, B., Shalloo, L. (2018). A national methodology to quantify the diet of grazing dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 101, 8596-8604, shows that Irish dairy cows have access to pasture, on average, 255 days per year. The Bord Bia (Irish Food Board) 2023 statistics show an average of 240 days on pasture. Fonterra’s annual data shows that on average, in New Zealand, our farmers' cows spend more than 350 days grazing outside on pasture.
Does Fonterra’s Grass & Pasture Fed Standard reflect the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard?
The Fonterra Trusted Goodness Grass Fed Scheme has been assessed as having met the criteria to be recognised by the Ministry for Primary Industries under the New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Administrative Standard. Fonterra has a well established Grass and Pasture-Fed Standard. Since its establishment in 2016, Fonterra’s Standard defines the minimum requirements for the consumption of grass and time spent on pasture for Fonterra New Zealand dairy cows.
Who is the Ministry for Primary Industries?
Ministry for Primary Industries is a New Zealand government agency that is focused on supporting the success of primary industries in New Zealand. Please visit https://www.govt.nz/organisations/ministry-for-primary-industries/ for more information.
Is there a way to independently confirm Fonterra's Trusted Goodness Scheme is recognised as meeting the New Zealand government-backed definition of New Zealand grass-fed?
Yes. Approved schemes are listed on a public register maintained by the Ministry for Primary Industries on their website: NZ Grass-Fed Administrative Standard | NZ Government.
Is Fonterra's Grass & Pasture Fed Standard independently certified?
Our New Zealand Milk pool is third party certified against the Fonterra Grass & Pasture Fed Standard annually by AsureQuality, an independent Conformity Assessment Body (CAB). In 2025, our Fonterra Trusted Goodness Grass Fed scheme has been assessed as having met the criteria to be recognised by Ministry for Primary Industries under the New Zealand Grass-Fed Standard.
I buy NZMP ingredients – can I make a grass-fed claim?
Like any other claim, you are in control of the claims you wish to make and we are here to help - Learn more about how we support you through our Natural Dairy Claims programme.
Who is AsureQuality?
AsureQuality provides food assurance and biosecurity services to the food and primary production sectors worldwide. Wholly owned by the New Zealand Government, AsureQuality has built a solid reputation for delivering expert services and value to the entire food supply chain in over 40 countries worldwide.
AsureQuality is accredited by the Joint Accreditation Scheme for Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ) as a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB), enabling the independent 3rd party certification of customer systems and/or products to a very wide range of certification standards, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, FSSC, FSSC-Q, FMS, BRC, SQF, Global GAP, and Organics, as well as various other schemes.
How does Fonterra know it complies with the requirements of the New Zealand Grass-Fed standard?
Fonterra requires all Fonterra New Zealand farmers to provide data on feed and farm practices. The collected data allows Fonterra to determine compliance of the Fonterra New Zealand milk pool against the requirements of the Fonterra Grass & Pasture Fed Standard.
Who governs the Fonterra Grass & Pasture Fed Standard?
The Fonterra Grass and Pasture-Fed Standard is also governed by the Trusted Goodness Scheme Owners group. This group is comprised of representative stakeholders, including Fonterra Management, AsureQuality (Certification Body), representatives from the Farm Dairy Contracted Service Provider, a group of Fonterra Farmers for supplier representation, and Fonterra Subject Matter Experts for each individual Fonterra standard. This group meets annually to review the performance and integrity of the standard and helps to ensure the continuous improvement of this standard.
Important Disclaimer:
Fonterra Co-operative Group makes no representations or warranties in respect of the information contained on the Fonterra website or in this document, including representations or warranties (express or implied) concerning fitness for purpose or appropriateness (including whether such information can be used in compliance with any applicable jurisdiction) in relation to the use in connection with the marketing, promotion and sale of any third party products. Without limiting the foregoing, any use of, or reliance on, the information contained on the Fonterra website or in this document is not the responsibility of Fonterra Co-operative Group.
¹ 350 days grazing on pasture is an average calculated across our Fonterra New Zealand farms.
² 奶牛也可能被移出牧场以接受补充饲料、在恶劣天气中保持安全、支持牧场管理和/或照顾它们的健康/营养。
³ A dairy season runs from 1 June to 31 May in any year. The three-year rolling figure is calculated using data from the last 3 complete seasons.