In New Zealand, we farm the way nature intended, with our cows naturally grazing on pasture.
Grass is a natural food source for cows, and New Zealand is one of the few places in the world where cows can graze on grass, year round.
Our Fonterra New Zealand cows consume on average 96 percent of their diet as grass, which is well above the 92%minimum amount of grass in the diet of dairy cows across the Fonterra New Zealand milk pool as defined in the Fonterra Grass and Pasture Fed Standard.
Grass fed
Grass/pasture is classified as grass, grass silage, hay and forage crops, and the above figures are calculated on a ‘wet’ (or ‘as-fed’) basis.
The Fonterra Grass and Pasture Fed Standard also has a minimum requirement that cows supplying the Fonterra milk pool spend at least 90% of their non-milking time outside on pasture. Our Fonterra New Zealand cows spend on average 97% of their non-milking time outside on pasture.
The Fonterra Grass and Pasture Fed Standard assesses and verifies the farming practises across all Fonterra New Zealand farms, focussing on use of supplementary feed and cows’ ability to have access to pasture.
Products carrying the Certified Grass Fed claim signal to consumers that they have been made with milk from New Zealand Grass-fed cows.
Certification of the milk is provided by AsureQuality, an independent Conformity Assessment Body accredited by JAS-ANZ, against the Fonterra Grass and Pasture Fed Standard.