FOURTH EDWARD GOLDSMITH LECTURE
Earth Sciences Seminar Room (CO304), Cotton Building
Victoria University of Wellington (Kelburn Campus)
5.30-6.30pm Thursday 27 October 2016 – All welcome
Health Check Time for NZ's land and water use
Alison Dewes, One Health Professionals, Cambridge
NZ livestock farming is facing a multitude of challenges
- Pollution of rivers and ground water supplies
- Climate change and more volatile seasons
- Pressure for carbon emissions reduction
- Increasing biosecurity incursions
- Competition from milk and meat substitutes
Also the wellbeing of farm animals is increasingly important to consumers, who want food from sources they can trust.
It’s time for a health check on traditional but increasingly intensified farming models now being followed. We need to
think about being fit and able to change. Gains in increased efficiency and reduced risk of pollution can be found in
using more land for non-animal protein sources. We also need land use practices that lead to a substantial reduction in
air and water pollution.
Alison is a fourth generation dairy farmer and second generation veterinarian, She is a firm believer that our future
food production systems have to be profitable and resilient while maintaining ecological health. She was elected to the
NZ Veterinary Board in 2015 and is on the National Environmental Reference Group for Landcorp.