Our organic dairy offering brings together New Zealand’s pasture-based farming expertise with the core principles of organic agriculture.
Farms in our Fonterra Organic programme operate without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, GMOs and antibiotics1 in line organic certification requirements.
Our organic grass-fed difference
New Zealand’s temperate climate means cows on our organic farms have access to pasture year-round2. More than 99% of their diet comes from a variety of nutritious pasture-based feed, including fresh grass, silage, hay and forage crops such as legumes and brassicas. Whilst the majority of feed is grown on farm some organic farmers may support their cows’ nutritional needs with a small amount of organic supplementary feed from New Zealand or imported sources.
The New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Administrative Standard
The New Zealand Government’s Ministry for Primary Industries has created a standard to define what constitutes a grass-fed system in New Zealand. The New Zealand Dairy Grass-fed Administrative Standard (the Standard) specifies the requirements and attributes that must be met for grass-fed certification to be issued. Fonterra is proud that our New Zealand organic milk is verified as meeting the requirements of this Standard, giving our customers and consumers greater trust and confidence in our Organic claims.
Meeting the New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Standard
This Standard requires that the below minimum requirements must be met:
- Cows must have a diet which constitutes, on a 3-year rolling average, at least 90% (freshweight) qualifying grass-fed feed types.
- Cows must on average graze pasture or forage crops at least 340-days per year for at least 8-hours per day.
For more information on the Standard visit www.mpi.govt.nz.
Third Party Certification
Fonterra’s New Zealand milk pool (including our segregated organic milk pool) is third-party certified annually by AsureQuality, an independent Conformity Assessment Body (CAB). New Zealand Government owned AsureQuality is accredited by the Joint Accreditation System for Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ) to verify Fonterra’s Trusted Goodness Scheme as meeting the requirements of the Standard.
Our Fonterra organic grass-fed performance
Fonterra’s data shows our New Zealand farmers’ organic cows that comprise our organic milk pool are on average, greater than 99% grass-fed and have access to pasture 365 days a year for at least 8 hours per day.
Greater than 99% is an average measured over the previous three seasons' data3, calculated on a “as consumed” basis. Grass-fed means cows mainly grazing on grass and crops in paddocks. Some farmers may use organic supplementary feed (from New Zealand and or imported sources) and temporarily remove cows from pasture to support their nutrition and welfare needs. 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 Standard.
Organic Grass and Pasture Fed FAQs
What does grass-fed mean for our Organic Milk Pool?
Grass-fed means cows mainly grazing on grass and crops in paddocks where they roam. On average, our Fonterra New Zealand organic cows consume greater than 99% grass, and have access to pasture 365 days a year. Some farmers may use organic supplementary feed (from New Zealand and or imported sources) and temporarily remove cows from pasture to support their nutrition and welfare needs.
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.
Does Fonterra’s Organic Grass & Pasture Fed Standard reflect the New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Standard?
Yes. The Fonterra Trusted Goodness Scheme has been assessed as having met the criteria recognised by the Ministry for Primary Industries under the New Zealand Dairy Grass-Fed Administrative Standard. Fonterra has an established Organic Grass and Pasture-Fed Standard. Since its establishment in 2023, Fonterra’s Organic Standard defines the minimum requirements for the consumption of grass and time spent on pasture for Fonterra New Zealand organic 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 Organic Grass & Pasture Fed Standard independently certified?
Yes. Our New Zealand Organic Milk pool is third party certified against the Fonterra Organic Grass & Pasture Fed Standard annually by AsureQuality, an independent Conformity Assessment Body (CAB). In 2025, our Fonterra Trusted Goodness 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 System for Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ) as a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB), enabling the independent third party certification of customer systems and/or products to a very wide range of certification standards, including ISO 17065, 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 Dairy Grass-Fed standard?
Fonterra requires all Fonterra New Zealand farmers to provide data on feed and farm practices. The data we collect from our organic farmers is used to determine compliance of the Fonterra New Zealand organic milk pool against the requirements of the Fonterra Organic Grass & Pasture Fed Standard and any exceptions that may have occurred.
Who governs the Fonterra Organic Grass & Pasture Fed Standard?
The Fonterra Organic Grass and Pasture-Fed Standard is 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.
1 While organic standards vary globally, Fonterra's Organic programme ultimately requires USDA and Taiwan Organic certification, which does not allow milk from antibiotic-treated animals to be sold as organic.
2 Some farmers may temporarily remove cows from pasture to support their welfare needs.
3 A dairy season runs from 1 June to 31 May in any year. The three year rolling figure is calculated using the last 3 complete seasons data (2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 seasons)