The Government and industry have jointly backed a new AgriZeroNZ programme to help roll out world-leading farm tech that will strengthen farmers' competitiveness and profitability.
The Early Adoption Accelerator will contribute up to NZD 51 million of existing Crown funding, with the Government matching dollar-for-dollar investment from industry partners.
Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis said the co-funded model was a key strength of the programme.
“What is particularly exciting about this initiative is that it is a genuine partnership between Government and industry, for every commercial dollar invested through AgriZeroNZ, the Government will match it to help scale up practical on-farm innovation," said Willis.
“That means everyone has skin in the game and we are all backing innovation that can make a real difference on farms and ensure New Zealand agriculture remains globally competitive.”
She added that the focus is on developing usable technologies and helping farmers to adopt them at scale.
“New Zealand farmers are already among the world’s most emissions-efficient producers. This programme is about helping them adopt practical new technologies that support productivity, profitability and long-term competitiveness as global markets increasingly expect lower-emissions food and fibre production.”
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay mentioned that the Early Adoption Accelerator builds on significant existing investment through AgriZeroNZ into emissions-reducing research and development.
To date, AgriZeroNZ has invested NZD 79.9 million in 18 companies, research projects, and trials, accelerating the development of a range of tools, from inhibitors to probiotics, pastures, animal wearables, and vaccines.
A growing pipeline of tools is expected to become available over the next few years, giving farmers more practical options to reduce emissions while maintaining production.
One emissions-reduction technology, EcoPond, is already available in New Zealand, with additional tools, such as boluses, expected later this year. Other technologies, including methane inhibitors, probiotics and vaccines, are expected to follow over the next few years.
“This is not about telling farmers what to do. It is about giving them more choices to adopt technologies that fit their farm systems and business models," said McClay.
AgriZeroNZ is now seeking expressions of interest from companies and industry groups to participate in Early Adoption Accelerator projects over the next three years.
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