WELLINGTON: Despite recommendations from Fonterra that farmers should not feed more than 3kg per cow per day, New Zealand dairy farmers palm kernel (PKE) imports increased by 60% in November.
In October, 138,763t of the controversial livestock feed supplement was imported; this increased to 222,413t in November. In November 2014, this figure was 178,381t, according to Statistics NZ data.
Imports of PKE, a byproduct of the palm oil industry, has increased from 96,000y in 2002 to a record 2m tonnes last year.
Earlier this year, Fonterra launched a campaign urging dairy farmers to reduce the level of PKE in the cow’s diet to a maximum of 3kgs per cow per day because higher levels could alter the composition of milk.
Environmental group Greenpeace has campaigned for a long time to stop PKE usage. They claim the deforestation of land in southeast Asia contributes significantly to the increased level of carbon emissions in the world today.
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