Over an action-packed 16 days, a group of 39 Fonterra farmers travelled around China to learn more about where their milk goes and enjoy must-see sights.
Recently, Co-op farmers were given the chance of a lifetime to travel to China and see where their milk ends up.
The trip was designed in partnership with Kiwi travel agency Farm and Leisure Tours, providing farmers with a balance of Fonterra experiences, wider agricultural activities and cultural bucket list highlights.
Having not organised any international study tours since Covid, this China one filled up quickly once Fonterra offered it as an exclusive opportunity for its farmers.
It saw 39 Co-op farmers from around the country gain first-hand insights into how the Co-op creates value from their milk and its pivotal role in the global dairy industry.
Beginning in Beijing, the tour group met with key Fonterra staff for a comprehensive insight into the Chinese market and a visit to Sunlon Group’s bull breeding research centre. From here, it was off to the vast grasslands of Mongolia, historic Xi’an, and the Shanghai business hub.
Methven farmer Craig Elliot and his wife Helen say the trip was “amazing”. The first-generation farmers have been with Fonterra since they converted their first farm 25 years ago. They are now milking 4000 cows, fully self-contained.
“While we’d been to China 14 years ago, we decided to go on this tour to get an insight into what Fonterra is doing in China. You can’t do that on a normal trip. We were really pleased with what we were able to see. The Fonterra staff on the ground over there are incredible. Everyone is so passionate and focused on promoting our products across all areas. It gave us great confidence. Their staff had great knowledge and were innovative in getting our milk into new markets,” Craig says.
“The business is growing significantly each year. The Co-op’s story is held in high regard in China, and the images of New Zealand’s pastures and promotion of ‘grass-fed’ are everywhere. When you see big brands like Yili in the shops, you don’t realise that our milk is a major ingredient.”
The tour included a high-speed bullet train trip to Datong, where they visited the Mutong Dairy Group, which milks up to 8000 dairy cows, before continuing to Hohhot, the capital city of Inner Mongolia and the ‘Milk Capital’ of China.
“It was full-on. Every day we were away doing something. We saw some incredible farms. Would you believe, we even saw horses getting milked. The Yili show farm set-up was first-class. They had two 100-bale rotaries next to each other and staff going around cleaning teats, others making sure cups were intact. The floors are tiled, and it was so clean. We were very impressed with what we saw,” Craig says.
“What surprised us was that we didn’t expect China to be right into its sustainability, but it was at the forefront of everything they talked about. There are a huge number of electric vehicles. The government is really promoting healthy living, and dairy is a big part of this, not only for infants but also for the aging population.”
Fonterra is continuing to offer Co-op farmers the chance to explore different global markets with Farm and Leisure Tours. Individuals pay their own way, with Farm and Leisure Tours managing the travel arrangements with attendees directly. As these are study tours, the tour company documents a study report for learning and reference material. It also means the trips can be accounted for as a business expense and be tax-deductible.
For more information and to register your interest in future tours, email enquiries@farmandleisuretours.nz.