Kiwi milk greener than other countries

The research found, on average, 0.81kg of carbon dioxide was produced for each kilogram of milk in the 2010/11 season, compared to 0.75kg of carbon dioxide in the 2013/14 season and 0.78kg of carbon dioxide during the 2017/18 season.

Two international studies – published in 2014 – out of Australia and Ireland calculated 1.1kg of carbon dioxide was emitted for each kilogram of finished milk.

He noted the per-kilogram carbon footprint of milk used in the study was different to the total greenhouse emissions used in reports such as the Ministry for the Environment’s annual count.

“The research calculated all the emissions produced before the milk left the farm, but did not include the greenhouse gas emitted in the processing (such as milk drying) and transportation of the final product.”