Feeding the world’s growing population
New Zealand’s reputation as a quality food producer is growing.
The Fertiliser Association of New Zealand promotes and encourages responsible and scientifically-based nutrient management.
Our Members’ approach to business and human rights
The supply of fertiliser in New Zealand relies on international sourcing. The range of risks considered and assessed are growing in scope and depth, and human rights risk is an increasingly important part of this consideration.
The fertiliser industry in New Zealand is dominated by farmer-owned co-operatives. This means our Members are particularly aware that the inputs and fertiliser they supply are at the start of a long supply chain that ultimately lands on consumers’ plates. Our members anticipate that during the next decade consumers will increasingly consider any potential human risk in the same way as they now consider environmental risk. Increasingly, assessment of human rights risks will be core to doing business. Our industry is deepening assessment of human rights risk as part of wider assessment activities.
The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) set out an approach for such assessments. Our Members acknowledge they are at an early stage of adopting the UNGPs within our industry. They have started with an industry wide Human Rights Statement.
In this Statement our Members focus on the following social values:
Our Members are currently working on how to embed these approaches within existing business practices. This process will not necessarily bring new processes and assessments within their businesses but will extend and deepen existing practices.
Having committed to adopting the UNGPs, our Members have already undertaken an assessment of one key supplier to New Zealand – the supply of phosphate rock from the OCP mine at Phosboucraa in Western Sahara.
The Fertiliser Association of New Zealand and Dairy NZ funded development of the Nutrient Management Adviser Certification Programme (NMACP). This industry-wide certification aims to ensure that advisers have the learning, experience and capability to give sound nutrient advice.
15 March 2023
The Fertiliser Association of New Zealand has published a revised and updated Code of Practice for fertiliser nutrient management, replacing the previous version published in 2013.
The Code was launched at an event in Wellington on 13 March 2023, attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Hon Damien O’Connor.
Minister O’Connor welcomed the publication of the Code, saying it was important good guidance is available for all farm inputs for farmers and the wider sector.
He described farming – producing food for communities and the world – as the most noble of professions. Farmers were dealing with challenges every day and providing them with tools and knowledge was important, he said.
The Code is a key resource tool for the management of nutrients on arable and pastoral farms, horticulture and viticulture blocks, and market gardens.
Association Chief Executive Vera Power says the revised Code provides clear principle-based guidance on supplying nutrients for growing healthy food and fibre.
“Following the Code provides users, regulatory authorities and markets confidence that the nutrients used in Aotearoa New Zealand primary production are managed in a way that minimises adverse environmental impacts,” says Dr Power.
“We believe all New Zealand farmers and growers want to meet societal and their own high expectations for growing healthy food while minimising environmental impacts. Supporting all our aspirations remains at the heart of the guidance provided by this Code.”
The revised Code has had extensive input from agricultural and scientific experts, regulators and industry groups. It can be downloaded from the Association website at www.fertiliser.org.nz
7 September 2022
The 2022 AgriTechNZ Baseline of Digital Adoption in Primary Industries report was released in August.
Created as part of a study by AgriTechNZ and insights partner Research First, the report was co-designed with partners The Fertiliser Association of New Zealand, Zespri, The Foundation of Arable Research and DairyNZ. It was also supported by the Ministry for Primary Industries as part of the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures initiative (SFFF).
The 60-page report looks at digital adoption, including key drivers and barriers across the dairy, horticulture, arable and beef/sheep sectors.
You can download the report here.
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