Photo: ©Rainer Fuhrmann - stock.adobe.com
New Zealand's only dung beetle rearing facility says it may have to close if there's not more support.
Dung Beetle Innovations was launched in 2014, following a successful application to import exotic dung beetles into Aotearoa to help reduce the impacts of farming on soil and water quality, and reduce drench resistance.
Co-founder Dr Shaun Forgie said while livestock had been brought in to establish New Zealand's agriculture sector, a "suitable clean-up crew" had not been.
He said dung beetles helped rid paddocks of the manure left behind by stock, which would otherwise cause "major problems" with runoff and contaminants going into waterways.
"It is one of the greatest opportunities for utilising poop on farm paddocks as a free, sustainable fertiliser, and effectively halve your fertiliser bill. It's one of those great things for improving soil productivity and productivity on your farm."
The Auckland-based company bred and reared eight species of exotic dung beetles at its facility - the only such kind in New Zealand.
Forgie estimated they had since released millions of beetles onto farms through direct to farm sales as well as initiatives undertaken by regional councils and local catchment groups.
However, with sales declining in recent years, the future of the facility seemed uncertain.
"Sales are really dwindling to a point where we're critically underfunded now, and there's a high likelihood we're not going to survive unless either the government jumps in and uses it as one of its mitigation tools for improving water quality, or farmers get on with ordering beetles."
Forgie said there were like a variety of factors behind the slowdown in sales, including potentially the cost.
"These beetles may be expensive upfront, but for the long-term gain for your farm, you're saving vast amounts of money and productivity and reduced chemical costs, reduced fertiliser costs.
"New Zealand's a small country, it's a small economy. We know statistically 15 percent of our farmers are the innovative early adopters that will get on with things like this. There's another 15 percent we know that will see what they're doing, the first 15 percent, and then they will think, 'Well, it's a good idea, we'll get on board.'
"So really, I think we're probably catering for probably 30 percent of the farming community."
Forgie wondered if the market was now at saturation point, with the self-sustaining beetle colonies taking about 10 years to fully establish themselves on farm.
He said if the government were to invest $60 million in supplying farms with beetles over 10 years it would have massive benefits for the primary sector.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director of investment programmes and operations Steve Penno said it had invested more than $800,000 in dung beetle research to date.
"On balance, the evidence suggests that dung beetles provide positive benefits to pasture, soil quality, and nutrient loss. However, they don't offer a 'quick fix' solution to address water quality given the time they take to establish. Their effectiveness also very much depends upon the individual farm situation."
He said MPI was open to receiving more dung beetle applications to the Primary Sector Growth Fund.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
