Methane tech meets muddy boots in Oxford

EcoPond being applied on Cam Henderson’s Oxford farm - a simple system targeting methane at the pond level. Claire Inkson

A Canterbury farm hosted a global delegation last week as Synlait and Nestlé showcased EcoPond - a New Zealand-developed system reducing methane emissions from effluent ponds by more than 90 percent.

A busload of visitors pulled into Cam Henderson’s Oxford dairy farm on March 18, carrying a mix of Synlait staff and international guests - for many, their first time not just in New Zealand, but on a working dairy farm.

They had come to see what is being positioned as one of the first practical, on-farm methane solutions ready for real-world use.

At the centre of the visit was EcoPond, a Canterbury-developed system that reduces methane emissions from effluent ponds by changing the biology inside them, stopping methane before it forms, rather than capturing it after the fact.

The demonstration was simple. A mobile unit pulls alongside the pond, doses it, and leaves, with methane suppression lasting for weeks.

That simplicity is a long way from where the technology started.

EcoPond general manager Elliot Mercer said the system has evolved significantly from its early days, when the focus was on recycling wash-down water from dairy sheds.

“It was good technology, but commercially it was quite challenging,” he said.

It was only during testing that the team realised methane emissions were also being reduced, opening the door to a new direction.

EcoPond general manager Elliot Mercer talks through the evolution of the technology.

Early versions involved installing equipment on farm, but that proved costly and complex.

 The breakthrough came through further research with Lincoln University, which showed methane suppression could last for six to eight weeks -and in some cases longer - after treatment.

“That completely changed the business model,” Mercer said.

“Now we can show up with a mobile truck, dose the pond, and the farmer doesn’t need to have any infrastructure on farm. It becomes a service.”

That shift has been key to early adoption.

Around 30 Synlait farms have now been treated, with the number continuing to grow. Synlait chief revenue officer Hamish Yates said uptake among farmers had been strong.

“It’s a bit of a no-brainer on farm,” he said.

“When you can take out around 90 percent of the methane from an effluent pond and do it in a way that’s relatively easy to implement, it has a meaningful impact.”

So far, the technology has resulted in emissions reductions of 2500 tonnes of CO2-e in less than a year – about the same as taking 1200 cars off the road.

Cam Henderson hosted the demonstration on his Oxford farm

Yates said support from Nestlé - Synlait’s major customer and the world’s largest food company - had been critical in accelerating that adoption.

“That money flows directly through to the farm,” he said.

“Incentive payments over and above the farmgate milk price are a core part of driving uptake.”

But he acknowledged the commercial reality is still evolving.

While there are financial incentives for farmers, long-term premiums are less certain.

“There won’t necessarily be a price premium at shelf,” Yates said.

“But this becomes part of what’s required to stay in the game.”

That tension sits in the background of much of the current sustainability conversation on farm - alongside what many describe as regulation fatigue, with farmers navigating ongoing change and uncertainty.

For Nestlé, however, the focus is on practical, scalable solutions.

Global head of sustainability nutrition Katja Seidenschnur said EcoPond stood out for its ease of use and immediate impact.

“It’s easy for farmers, and it delivers a huge reduction quickly,” she said.

“Usually these changes take years and require a lot of effort. This is different.”

She said while consumers are increasingly aware of sustainability, they are not necessarily willing to pay more.

“They expect this to happen,” she said.

Which puts the pressure back on the supply chain - and partnerships like this one.

For Mercer, that support has been essential in getting EcoPond to this point.

“Bridging the gap between a good idea and getting it into farmers’ hands is the hard part,” he said.

“Having partners like Synlait and Nestlé helps drive that early adoption and allows us to scale, learn and reduce costs over time.”

Planting a kōwhai marked the start of a wider native planting programme across Synlait farms.

But the day was also about something more visible.

Alongside the EcoPond demonstration, the first of up to 90,000 native trees and plants to be established through the next phase of the Nestlé-Synlait partnership was marked with the planting of a kōwhai on Henderson’s property — a small ceremony that signalled the wider environmental ambitions sitting behind the programme.

As well as supporting EcoPond, the next phase includes deeper use of digital tools to help farmers model profitability, productivity and emissions, alongside a significant commitment to biodiversity through native planting.

That wider scope was reflected in the kōwhai planted on Henderson’s farm, the first symbolic planting in a programme that is expected to see up to 18,500 native trees and plants established each year for the next five years.

Back at the pond, the EcoPond technology itself is almost underwhelming in its delivery with no major infrastructure needed.

For farmers, that may be exactly the point.

“It’s very light touch,” Mercer said.

“They don’t have to change their system. It just slots in.”

As the sector looks for ways to reduce emissions without compromising productivity, solutions like EcoPond may become increasingly important - not as a single answer, but as part of a broader shift toward practical, on-farm change.