Over recent years, NZ farmers have seen the introduction of on-farm quality assurance programmes to meet market requirements for their products relating to the areas of food safety and animal welfare. More recently we have seen an increasing awareness of the sustainable side of farming being questioned overseas, with emphasis being placed on the impact of farming on the environment. Section.1 of this report outlines overseas Quality Assurance (QA) Programmes addressing sustainable production, their objectives and workings and the likely implications for NZ farmers. Section.2 presents Project Green as an option to address the issue of sustainable production and market requirements, outlining the background of Green Project, its objectives, how it is implemented on farm and the potential benefits from this. Farmer case studies are presented to show how Project Green has worked on their properties and their perception of its benefits.

The New Zealand Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme develops emerging agribusiness leaders to help shape the future of New Zealand agribusiness and rural affairs. Lincoln University has been involved with this leaders programme since 1979 when it was launched with a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, USA.