New Zealand apple growers could soon be offering the results of their eight-month study into greenhouse gas emissions for the benefit of producers outside the country, in a bid to create common international standards for measuring the carbon footprint of an apple.
The study was carried out by Landcare Research, Plant and Food Research, AgriLink and Massey University under the auspices of industry body Pipfruit New Zealand and the ministry of agriculture and forestry, to measure the emissions along the entire supply chain to major export markets in Europe, the US and Asia.
Peter Beaven, ceo of Pipfruit NZ, told freshinfo: “We were not happy with other reports out there, for example the DEFRA report comparing [the carbon footprint] of New Zealand and UK apples and so we decided the only sensible way was to look at the whole life cycle right through the supply chain. The fact that the DEFRA report was carried out without consultation with either the UK or New Zealand industries calls into question its validity.”
He stressed that the report was “not about comparisons”, but about using valid measurements to identify carbon hotspots in the supply chain and how they can be improved.
No comments yet