New milk fridge tech could see dairy farmers cut costs and carbon

Replacing a gas-leaking milk chiller will cut a farm’s carbon footprint and bills, says a new partnership encouraging the upgrades.

Fonterra hopes hundreds of its farmers will make the switch, lessening the planetary impact of its milk.

To curb bacterial growth, raw milk must be rapidly chilled below 6C within hours of collection. However, many of these chilling systems run on greenhouse gases – often thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Older systems can leak 15% of this hydrofluorocarbon gas each year, heating the Earth and requiring farmers to pay for regular top-ups.

Fonterra announced today that it has paired up with a Kiwi chilling company and green investment funds to offer planet and farm-friendlier milk chillers.

Up to 200,000 tonnes of emissions leak out of old chillers each year, Fonterra said – corresponding to roughly a quarter of the greenhouse gas produced by the dairy giant’s coal boilers each year. However, the amount is dwarfed by millions of tonnes coming from the methane burped by cows.

The new systems have been road-tested by farmers, said Fonterra executive Anne Douglas​.

“Why I love this solution so much is there is a product that is available and is significantly better than its equivalent. It will play its part.”

The modern chillers still run on planet-heating gases, but have a carbon footprint 80% smaller than the older machines. They require less electricity, Douglas said.

The machines transfer the heat out of the milk and into water. Hot water is often required to clean milking sheds and is currently provided by a separate appliance on many dairy farms.

The two-in-one system should cut farms’ energy bills, plus maintenance and gas top-up costs, by hundreds of dollars – offsetting much of the cost of the upgrade, even potentially saving money.

Many farmers today are looking for savings wherever they can, Douglas said.

More than 200 farms will be able to lease the tech, courtesy of $10 million from Government-funded Green Investment Finance. Chief investment officer Jason Patrick​ would be “delighted” if uptake was higher than expected, and more cash would be allocated. “We’re quite excited about the opportunity.”

Although every milk shed will have different needs, Douglas said, the system will cost roughly $1000 per month.

Douglas doesn’t expect every farmer to immediately make the switch but it’ll be an “incredibly attractive offer”, she said, for farmers who are due to upgrade their chiller – an estimated 500 of the co-op’s 11,000 suppliers – and those with systems reaching the end of their lifespan.

“Here is an option that allows you to lease the latest technology… [It] can improve the quality of milk as well.”

Source : Stuff Nov 7th 2023