Synlait Swappa Bottle milk comes from only certified farms - our most sustainable performers!
We’re lucky to be able to work with milk suppliers who are progressive, innovative and ambitious. We believe their drive to be the best farmers should be recognised and financially rewarded.
Our world class sustainable farming programme gives them the opportunity to show their passion and dedication across four pillars: Environment, Animal Health & Welfare, Milk Quality and Social Responsibility. It’s our standard, but farmers are audited each year by independent auditors. We provide incentive payments on top of what farmers are already paid when they perform well in each of the four pillars.
Because it’s our standard, we can encourage and reward best practices on-farm and remain ahead of regulation by creating new incentive payments. An example of this was when we recognised the risk of supporting deforestation by using Palm Kernel Expeller (PKE) as a stock feed on farm. We introduced an incentive for PKE-free farms in 2018. Today 75% of our certified farms are PKE free. We’ve also created and are now implementing a greenhouse gas reduction plan.
We also recognise our certified farmers through our Annual Awards. This year Glen Ashford and Shelley Lawson (above) of Kaimai Dairy Farm Ltd were the winners of our national Kotahitanga Award. This award focuses on the all-important team approach of farming. Judges remarked “the minute Shelley and Glen’s employees start, they are welcomed into a culture of collaboration, support and clarity. The unique job title structure put in place on farm ensures employees have complete clarity over their roles and a clear pathway for their progression. Shelley and Glen have fostered an inclusive and collaborative approach to improvement and problem solving. These two are true role models of Kotahitanga".
We're stoked to say that all milk in the Synlait Swappa Bottle only comes from certified farms - our most sustainable performers!
