On farm with Mars

During their recent trip to New Zealand, Mars stopped by Andrew Flay’s fourth-generation farm in Te Awamutu, Waikato, to talk about how they’re supporting Fonterra farmers with reducing on-farm emissions 

The Mars team visited New Zealand in February for the launch of new incentives for Fonterra farmers, which include on-farm solutions for those who achieve the Co-operative Difference and an Emissions Incentive payment of between 10-25 cents for those with the lowest emissions in the Co-operative. 

Mars is one of Fonterra’s largest customers, with farmers’ milk going into well-known products like Mars Bars, M&Ms, and Snickers. One 1.2 tonne crate of Anhydrous Milk Fat (AMF) from the Co-op’s Edendale site in the South Island goes into around one million Mars bars. 

Fonterra’s Group Director of Farm Source Anne Douglas says partnerships with customers like Mars help keep the Co-op strong. “This partnership is special. The genuine interest, passion, and value that Mars place on the hard work farmers are doing every day to produce this high-quality, nutritious, dairy product is second to none.”

Mars’ Global Vice President of Sustainability and Chief Climate Officer, Kevin Rabinovitch, joined Anne Douglas on a visit to Andrew’s farm to talk about the new incentives, which are designed to support farmers to reduce emissions. 

Talking about what sustainability means to him, Andrew says the farm’s family history informs how he thinks about the future. “I was born on the farm, as was my dad. My son and grandson were born in the same house, so we’ve got a little bit of history here. Because of that, sustainability is forefront in our minds. To hear that we're all in this together, finding a clearer path forward, that's great,” he says.

Mars relates to thinking in generations, says Kevin. “We value the work that can be done to solve today's challenges but setting things up for the future too. We really appreciate that long-term perspective and thinking about the future of farming and the future of our business and supply chain.”

“Without agriculture, without farmers, we don't have a business. We recognise and value that. It’s something that we want to invest in today, and in the future.”

The new incentives are an evolution of Mars’ partnership with Fonterra. In 2024, Co-op farmers were invited to take part in the Mars Tools and Services pilot, which looked at what support could help farmers reduce emissions and improve efficiencies. They’ve also previously supported the Greener Choices programme, which made it easier for Fonterra farmers to identify and buy products at Farm Source stores that could help them make sustainability improvements on-farm.