Large Animal Veterinarian + Sustainability Lead at Zoetis NZ - Kristen Baxter - sustainability steps in the kiwi vetmed industry

055 - Kristen Baxter - Zoetis NZ Vet Med Sustainability

[00:00:00] Julie South: Welcome to episode 55 of Paws,, claws, and wet noses. The vet podcast, celebrating all creatures great and small, and they're fantabulous professionals who look after them all. I'm your show host Julie south. And this week I'm worth Kristin Beck. As well as being a large animal vet is also, so we test new Zealand's sustainability Lee.

[00:00:35] I enjoyed catching up with Kristen. I learned heaps as you'll be able to pick up from the audio. We caught up by zoom. And typically, because zoom knew I was recording and I needed a high quality order. It went a. Wobbly, so apologizes and advance for that. Fortunately though, it doesn't detract from what [00:01:00] Kristen had to share.

[00:01:01] Kristen was introduced to me by Dr. Rose Unsworth as a guest a few months back back when rose and I started bouncing around the idea of a sustainability series. Kristen's a highly motivated and organized vet, her personal goal or. And woman, her personal goal is to continue having a collaborative and interesting career in the vet industry whilst being able to drive improvements and the health and welfare of animals and veterinarians, as well as to help the vet industry develop a path towards a sustainable future.

[00:01:44] After listening to her today, I think you'll agree that she's definitely helping to put the New Zealand VIPs sector on the global sustainability map, 

[00:01:58] Bryan Gregor: an old vet or my father [00:02:00] when he was a student in Glasgow. He said, if you wanted to be a success in veterinary practice, Just keep the bubbles open and just arrested.

[00:02:07] God. Nutrition is not an opinion. It's a science. They called me that weird herbal needle that, and I just remember thinking, well, I'm still going to do it because I know it works. And I've got the research to back it from reminiscences of the real James Harriet son to P nutrition, to acupuncture the podcast, discusses current animal health issues from around the world.

[00:02:31] Um, veterinarian Brian greater from New Zealand, just search for the fit podcast. Wherever you get your podcasts from 

[00:02:40] Julie South: in 2019, Zoetis New Zealand set up a new internal group to examine environmental, social and governance aspects of its business. With a focus on driving. Long-term. Business sustainability and practice Kristen's responsibilities have been primarily focused [00:03:00] on improving the environmental footprint and looking at all areas of the product life cycle, which includes packaging, transportation all the way through to managing product.

[00:03:11] Y. Wearing her sustainability head. She's looked at the human contribution, including ear and vehicle travel and office management. Last year in 2020, she set up the first progesterone device waste management program in the north island. And this year 2021, which Kristen talks about today, the first teat seal sealant

[00:03:34] tube collection and recycling program, which aims to collect back millions of tubes from farmers and fit clinics. I'll put all links mentioned on the episode page, which is episode 55 at paws claws, wit noses dot F M for you to go and have a look at and check out yourself. Kristen has a bachelor of science, agriculture, cum [00:04:00] laude from McGill university in Montreal with a major and animal and molecular biology.

[00:04:06] She's a graduate from Massey'sbachelor of veterinary science class of 2007. And in 2017, she was selected to participate. in Zoetis' as leadership development process. Kristen said she found the program provided a sound basis for personal growth and feels it's increased her emotional intelligence. The program required a project.

[00:04:33] So Kristen created a technical induction and training program, which is in use in New Zealand. Do. And because she has an appetite for learning development and the environment in 2018 Kristen and backed on a masters of environmental management program at MSCI for her thesis. She thinks that sustainability of our food production systems in the future is [00:05:00] critical, but to make important environmental decisions, we need them to be based on science.

[00:05:06] Her focus in this study has been to look at environmental policy and decision-making and how life cycle assessment can be successfully integrated into those systems, particularly within the animal health and the. As you're about to hear as well as being a mum, a wife, a large animal veterinarian and sustainability lead at Zetas.

[00:05:31] Kristen has also been a Kiwi farmer, paws, claws, and wet noses is sponsored by Vetstar. If you've never heard of it, staff it's new, Zealand's only full service recruitment agency. 100% dedicated to the veterinary sector fit staff has been around since 2015 and works nationwide from Kate, rehang it to the bluff and everywhere in between as well as helping [00:06:00] Kiwis fit staff.

[00:06:01] Also helps overseas, qualified veterinarians find work and . Fit staff.co dot indeed listeners. I go into here. As soon as you start talking that you are not a kiwi . So why New Zealand? 

[00:06:19] Kristen Baxter: Well, I've been in New Zealand since, uh, the beginning of 2002. I finished my university degree in Canada and I was looking at going to veterinary school.

[00:06:29] But in America, the application process takes a whole year, or at least it did back then. And the state that I'm from doesn't have a state veterinary school. So while I was applying to universities in America, I decided to also apply to universities around the world that spoke English. And so I applied to the Australian schools to the UC schools and to use.

[00:06:52] And when I found out that I can start university in New Zealand or Australia earlier then I could [00:07:00] start in America, came over, had a look, saw the fact that Massey's, uh, out in the country and has a lot of focus on farm animals, which is my, my love for dairy cows and decided New Zealand looked pretty interesting.

[00:07:17] And then I finished that school and. Started working and never going back. We obviously think that you made the right choice because new Zealanders as a great place to live, you've had some time as a farmer in your background, you've worked on the farm while you were doing that. You may. Quite a few changes.

[00:07:41] It sound improvement changes. Now talk also a little bit, please about your sustainability journey. What happens first, being a farmer or. The sustainability journey. Yeah. So I'm married to a farmer which helped, uh, help get me farming. And my husband's [00:08:00] family farm was in Southland. We were dairy farming, uh, and then once we had kids, we started also, uh, grazing some dairy heifers and doing beef cattle.

[00:08:09] It was at the time when Southland was starting and New Zealand was starting to go through the environmental transition around, uh, concerned about water. Looking at winter grazing, we were in a position where we were trying to make changes to improve our productivity, improve our animal health, and we've managed to do that and have some really good wins there.

[00:08:33] And then by the end of it, we were starting to think, okay, how can we make this whole system sustainable for, for the future? And we're not farming anymore. My husband is, is still a farmer, but he works for a research company now, but that whole mindset is one of the reasons that I started studying for my master's degree in that I looked around at all of my friends and neighbors, [00:09:00] uh, and.

[00:09:01] They are really fantastic people, amazing farmers really love their animals. And I looked at what the media was saying and what some of the science was saying about these people, you know, and how they, they do really care about the environment and they care about the longevity of their farms. So how do I match these different narratives that were happening?

[00:09:24] And I felt like I didn't really understand very well, the science behind some of the things that were being said. So I thought I would go and learn a little bit more about it. I started studying at Massey for a master's in agriculture, looking at life cycle assessment, which is how we measure. For example, carbon footprinting it's one of the things that we measure using life cycle assessment looks at a whole bunch of measures of how we impact the environment with different systems, choose on farm, but obviously lots of other, other areas as well.

[00:09:59] [00:10:00] And that started me on this sort of journey towards looking at sustainability in a broader sense. So I'm almost finished with my master's thesis for my masters in environmental management. And it's been a really long journey. So it's taken me four years with kids and family and farming for part of the time.

[00:10:19] But it's been fantastic to learn about where we fit in these big global systems and what we can do to help our farmer clients actually improve their sustainability because animal health has a big impact on productivity and also on how animals are fitting into the. 

[00:10:41] Julie South: If I understand it correctly, New Zealand, here's one of the most environmentally friendly farming practices, but we get a bad rep for that.

[00:10:53] Is that true? 

[00:10:55] Kristen Baxter: Yes. To an extent, it depends a little bit on what you're measuring or carbon footprint. [00:11:00] New Zealand's dairy has the lowest carbon footprint pretty much of anywhere in. We are constantly learning more about the environmental impacts and how they interplay. We don't want to just look at carbon footprint.

[00:11:13] There's a number of different things that we do try and measure. And obviously waterways is another factor, the discharge of fertilizers and nitrogen from Collier and into the waterways. How can we manage that better? Cause some ways. And in some ways we can definitely improve. And there's other countries that are doing better.

[00:11:33] It just depends on what you're measuring, but certainly carbon footprint and climate change is a really big part of what we need to be doing now. Yes, there's a lot that the world can learn from, particularly in New Zealand, dairy systems and even lamb production as well. We're one of the lowest in the world.

[00:11:50] So there's a lot that, that other countries could learn from. So we do get a bad rap sometimes, but that's not an excuse to be complacent. We can always do better. Was there [00:12:00] one moment with sustainability where you thought, yes, this is at. You mentioned earlier that you wanted to discover and to learn more for years as, as a huge ask.

[00:12:16] So that takes a huge commitment or kudos to you for doing that, but was there a trigger moment or a trigger event? No, I don't think so. I think it's been a gradual sort of interest in and change. Certainly having the opportunity to use what I've been doing and my day-to-day roles at. So he just has had a big impact that really helped drive me forward and try and find new solutions and being able to integrate.

[00:12:45] My studies into my day-to-day work and vice versa has really helped drive that along. But I don't think there was a single inciting moment where I thought, yes, this is what I want to do, because I really love being a vet. And I don't think I want to give up [00:13:00] that side of it either. Fortunately. So just allows me to do both of those things, to use my veterinary skills and veterinary knowledge to also help drive sustainability.

[00:13:11] So it's a pretty unique position to be in. And I'm really like. 

[00:13:15] Julie South: Got a bit of a question for you. And I don't know whether you'll be able to answer it just off the top of your head when you were a farmer, it was before you started studying, you were making improvements and changes on farm. You did good.

[00:13:28] You know, you made some huge changes there, some huge improvements there, knowing what you know now, would you do things different? 

[00:13:37] Kristen Baxter: First off, I should say, I need to give most of the credit for the actual work of doing any changes to my husband, because he was the one who was there every day, doing the hard slog and making decisions.

[00:13:48] Would I have changed it differently? I'm not sure that I would. I think what. A lot of the things that, that we implemented on farm [00:14:00] were looking at trying to kept healthier animals who had better reproductive outcomes and what that actually. Yeah, that's exactly what we're looking for when we're trying to improve sustainability of on-farm systems studies and found that improving our dairy reproduction is actually one of the primary, most economic ways that we can actually improve our carbon footprint.

[00:14:26] So a lot of. What vets already tell farmers to do. And I wasn't saying anything to my husband that was any different to what I was saying to all of my other farmers is actually a farmers can implement that and we can actually get there and we can find ways to help them do that. Then that's actually what we need to do.

[00:14:45] We need to improve our productivity and we need to improve our reproduction because those are the big factors. Particularly carbon footprint, but also to some extent, things like nitrogen emissions as well will be impacted by, by changing those [00:15:00] things. So I think having better farming systems is, is really where we need to go.

[00:15:05] Julie South: Did you, do you find that farmers listen to what you saying? 

[00:15:09] Kristen Baxter: I think farmers always listen to what you're saying, whether they can then take that and implement it is going to depend on a number of different factors. That are not always within their control. We had the advantage of being a relatively small family farm.

[00:15:24] My husband was in charge of everything pretty much with the help of his parents, the decisions around implementation and actually making sure that happens the way it needs to happen. We're easily controlled. That's not always the case. And so there's when farmers make decisions, they take into account a number of different factors, including staffing, which we know has been a problem for farms for a really long time skillsets.

[00:15:49] What have they got the ability to do financial aspects of. There's certainly going to be some challenges for trying to implement some of these things on farms on a big scale [00:16:00] and farmers have been feeling under the pump, and I'm very much sympathize with that in that, you know, there's been a lot of change coming up and very quickly.

[00:16:08] I think it's an opportunity. But I can definitely see how it's not going to be the easiest thing to do on a lot of farms just because they have limitations or they've got a different situation and different influences on their decision-making. So it just depends on the farm, but yeah, the actual information, and what that's saying to farmers is the same, regardless.

[00:16:31] Julie South: And your opinion, what do you think the biggest challenges. R or ERs when it comes to the mid farmer sustainability and that's the pH AR ma pharma pharmaceutical. 

[00:16:50] Kristen Baxter: I think there's a number of different challenges that we've got. Right. And so we just, we think about our sustainability work as three different pillars.

[00:16:58] We've got the caring, [00:17:00] collaborate pillar, which is looking at our communities, looking at the veterinary profession and trying to find ways that we can support those aspects to be more sustainable. And in that social sustainability context, we're talking about. Taking care of our veterinary colleagues taking care of our, so we just colleagues for us and making sure that we provide flexible, diverse, inclusive workplaces to be in where our colleagues are valued and can really work to their potential.

[00:17:32] Being able to help veterinary clinics do the same is, is definitely an area that so we just is interested in, in working on. Then when we look at. Sort of protecting the planet. We have a lot of actions to take in terms of our own business operations, looking at things like product stewardship. Can we change packaging?

[00:17:52] Can we change the way that we ship things? Sort of a lot of that background stuff where we can make a difference. We've got a. Target [00:18:00] to have a hundred percent renewable energy by 2050 at a global level, which is quite a big ask in New Zealand. We're already well on the way. Of course, because New Zealand already has a very renewable electricity grid, but a lot of places around the world.

[00:18:12] Don't the third pillar that we talk about with sustainability is innovation in animal health. As I was saying before with farming, a lot of. Particularly in livestock improvements that we can make are influenced by animal health. We invest in things like data analytics, where we can identify animals, track what's going on and figure out how we can better manage them.

[00:18:34] And this is something that, for example, somebody just owns Infobit, which is a platform which dairy vets used to. Monitor and make decisions with farmers about how to improve things happening in their herd. And it pulls data from a number of different sources and really allows that to analyze things and make good decisions with farmers about what they can do.

[00:18:56] It also includes looking at new products, for [00:19:00] example, where we can move away from using a critically important anti-microbials maybe looking at. Investment in things like vaccines or other pharmaceuticals that have less of an impact on the environment, or allow animals to have less of an impact on the environment, helping control diseases that are problematic for production.

[00:19:22] And at the same time, looking at trying to control diseases that are. So we invest a lot of research into zoonotic diseases. So we just actually globally came up with the first COVID-19 vaccine for animals, which has been used in America, particularly on a lot of the zoo animals, the apes and, you know, investment in those sorts of innovations really will help.

[00:19:48] Drive sustainability on much bigger scale than our own company. Right? So if we can come up with a way that farms livestock have a significantly lower impact [00:20:00] before they are killed, that actually will have a much bigger impact than anything that our, our company does. Right. Because it's just a much bigger scale and we'll help supply a healthy and sustainable food system, people caring and collaboration and communities within Zurvita's.

[00:20:19] Julie South: The sustainability, a value that Zoetis hires on recruitment . 

[00:20:25] Kristen Baxter: Yeah. Yes. It's definitely a big focus for us. I think as we go forward, trying to create workplaces as well, that work for those calls. Where we can be flexible. We're certainly seeing a lot more working from home post COVID and the global businesses looking at expanding that flexibility to more roles and looking at how they can be flexible enough to allow them.

[00:20:52] Pool of applicants to be bigger. And we're working with the global applicant pool to get the best talent that we can. We talked [00:21:00] earlier where you mentioned that there are some new rules coming in around products, do it chip and veterinary medicines. The maids need to be registered in the next 18 months.

[00:21:13] How's that going to pan out? Do you think, and the implications and ramifications there. We'll flow on from there. The situation is in case anybody's not aware the ministry for the environment announced that as of July, 2020, it was announced that veterinary medicines will be included under the priority product stewardship scheme, which is part of the waste minimization.

[00:21:43] There were six new products, which are included on this scheme. It's the first time that they've, they've come up with these priority products. And there's some other ones, which we probably haven't heard much about, but things like tires, electronics, waste, that sort of thing as well. But Nerium medicines are included under the on-farm [00:22:00] plastic section of the priority product scheme, but technically it includes all registered veterinary medicine.

[00:22:06] So basically anything that's ACBM. Which means all of that. That's what the rules say is that there needs to be a stewardship program to manage the primary packaging waste for all of these products. By 2023, we have three years to come up with a plan. It doesn't mean the plan actually has to be functional or in place by 2023, but there needs to be a plan what's happening at the moment is that there's a group of companies trying to come up with a plan, working together with consultants in the back.

[00:22:37] We don't have a plan yet that's being worked on, but as you can imagine is very complicated to come up with a way to collect back packaging. Our first focus will be on, on farm waste and. As you know, we've been doing some recycling programs are well as moment for Zetas, and [00:23:00] we're happy to share all of that information with this group, but it is extremely challenging, but veterinary medicines come in a huge variety of packaging, which is not easy to change.

[00:23:14] So the goals stated by the minister for the environment is that this will be come part of a circular economy, but for a lot of veterinary medicine, Taking plastic packaging back or blast packaging. It doesn't matter. And refilling it. You can't do that. There's a sterility problem. We don't manufacture most of these things in New Zealand.

[00:23:34] So is there actually a better outcome if we then stick them back on a ship and send them back to wherever they came from? Probably not. The other thing is there's human health concerns with quite a few veterinary medicines whereby humans really shouldn't be handling them particularly after they've been used.

[00:23:52] So what do we do with those? There's a it's, it's a really big sort of chunky. Goal to come up [00:24:00] with. We're all focusing on on-farm stuff first, because volume wise that's going to be most of it. But yeah, even just coming up with a plan for teat seal, which we did last year, you know, it was several years of work.

[00:24:13] We'd been working on it. Well, before the announcement came out and was not that easy, we managed to collect back about 30% of the teat seal syringes that went out last year, which we were thrilled with for, for first year program. Trying to then expand that to all of the veterinary medicines is going to be a really big ask.

[00:24:33] We are fortunate or unfortunate in that because of ag recovery. So agriculture recycles stretched. Which is that probably the highest value in easiest, but nearing medicine waste to recycle, right? They come in big drums. They can be tremble, resist easily by farmers. The risk of human health hazard is relatively low for most of them.

[00:24:59] And [00:25:00] HDPE is high value, plastic. It's much easier to try and find a way to recycle it. Whereas with small animals, for example, we're looking at one middle glass files, which have a rubber bung and a metal print, and they can easily be taken apart and we shouldn't really be handling some of them anyway. So it is a really big ask and unfortunately, some things we will never be able to find a.

[00:25:27] Recycling solution for because of the human health hazard, we just shouldn't be handling them. Disposable have to be the answer for those, but the product stewardship guidelines, don't technically say that we should be recycling just that we need to collect them back in the base needs to be managed appropriately.

[00:25:44] But of course we would like to recycle everything. We're also limited by the re recycling capacity in New Zealand. There aren't very many different recyclers and they can't take that many different types of plastics. So even compared to countries overseas, we are liking [00:26:00] the infrastructure to be able to recycle some of our packaging.

[00:26:04] Julie South: Have you noticed in your time as a vet changes and improvements and sustainability in packaging? Disposal 

[00:26:16] Kristen Baxter: I've been with Zoetis for seven years, I would say it probably wasn't really on the radar up until then, other than like I said, ag recoveries program, which has been running for quite a while and does a good job of recycling those strange drums in the last seven years.

[00:26:30] Yeah. There's been a huge change. We're getting a lot more requests from that clinics to tell us, to tell them what we're doing on sustainability and. Provide them with solutions to recycle packaging or give them advice on what they might be able to do sustainability wise, because their customers are also asking about it.

[00:26:53] Fonterra has a new program where they're working with farmers to improve their environmental footprint. And as part of that, farmers are going to [00:27:00] need to report back what they're recycling as well. We are seeing that there's big drive in the industry to try and account for what farmers are recycling and what vets are recycling and what that best practices can do to improve their overall sustainability.

[00:27:15] I went to a conference a couple of months ago, which was the stable healthcare conference. So it was with the human doctors. One of the interesting contacts I made there. Who is working at the Canterbury DH to be actually contacted me yesterday to see if maybe we could set up a program whereby old materials from the hospitals could potentially be reused by veterinary practices because the hospitals are starting to look at sustainability and what they can do.

[00:27:42] And sometimes they throw away things that that's would be most happy to have. The first thing that he said they were looking at was. Old reusable, gowns and drapes. Maybe we could be purposed some of those for veterinary practices because they have rules around how, how long they can use them for [00:28:00] in hospitals.

[00:28:00] But you know, that practices are usually more than happy to reuse again for a bit longer than doctors. So there's, there's certainly the opportunity to collaborate across industries. And I think there's a lot of those sorts of things that we'll see going with. 

[00:28:14] Julie South: Do you think that the veterinary sector could show the human sector a thing or two as well?

[00:28:25] Kristen Baxter: I think that's probably true. Yes. As that's particularly foreign vets, but even small animal bets, we are very good at reusing things and finding ways to do things where we're still getting a really good outcome, but where we end up with less waste, because cost is always a factor for us. Um, yeah, that's just reality.

[00:28:47] I have been to the emergency room once or twice in my life and had to get stitched up. The doctors actually throw away and stitch kit, even if they've just taken out a pair of forceps. Uh, so I used to ask if I could take that home with me, [00:29:00] there's an opportunity as human health waste going forward, they're trying to get better.

[00:29:04] There's an opportunity for us to sort of piggyback off their ideas and do the same. One of the big areas, which I didn't realize before I went to this conference is the impact of. Is that it gases and as the gases are, of course released out into the environment, most vet clinics don't have scrubbers to try and remove them.

[00:29:23] If that, if that's even a thing, I'm not sure they are actually quite negative for carbon. So they tend to have a big global warming effect. Depending on the guests. Some of them are slightly worse than others, but yeah, that is actually probably something that we don't really think about in that practice.

[00:29:40] And so talking to one of the anesthetists, they are actually starting to use more total parental in anesthesia than they used to and stay away from the gas anesthesia. Partially at least four for sustainability reasons. And that's certainly something that that's. I had CJ, the podcast, the [00:30:00] episode that was released this week, as we record, I had CJ from CJ Donovan, from messy bits, talking about an acidic guesses and her big picture for how she would like to see them.

[00:30:17] That changed. I was thinking, as you were talking, new Zealanders are known it's in our DNA, the number eight wire mentality of, we can find a way to fix things, especially farmers, because they have to do things there. And then because the hardware store. Drive five minutes down the road to the hardware store to get what they need.

[00:30:45] So they have to be innovative. So it would be nice. I think for the vet sector to show the human sector a thing or two. Well, certainly from a packaging standpoint, we'll be much further down the road before [00:31:00] they are at the same time. My personal thought is that it makes a lot of sense for particularly Smalley, a little packaging, which tends to be very similar to what human health and uses for us to work together.

[00:31:13] And in fact, actually piggyback off the human health sector because whatever solution we come up with, they're going to have to come up with a solution. That's going to be a far bigger scale than we are. Certainly they are going to be in a much better position to do that and try and collect packaging back from millions of households than the veterinary sector is.

[00:31:34] And realistically, if whatever they put in place, I know that Pharmac and some of the government industries have looked at that, looked at what we can do around packaging. I mean, an ideal world. The first thing we would do is make less packaging. And so some of the things that we've done it. So we just have been around just trying to decrease the amount of packaging we produce full stop we've removed pack, packaging boxes that didn't didn't have to be there.

[00:31:59] [00:32:00] We've shrunk the size of some of our packaging so that it was less waste produced in the first place. But there will always be packaging that we have to use to keep our product stable, or just deliver them. If we can come up with a way that we could piggyback off what human health or. I think for small animals, particularly that would make a lot of sense where we're looking at sort of individual sized packages or pill bottles versus large animals where we'll be vaccinating 250 cows out of a single vaccine pack.

[00:32:30] The sizing and type of packaging just tends to be quite different. I think also to get, and just thinking of packaging, as you were talking, some of the, the packaging is outright. Criminal and that it's just designed to make, I mean, there's two lots of packaging, right? You've got the packaging that's required for transport, and then you've got the packaging that's required to make something look much bigger than it is.

[00:32:55] So people think they're getting a really good buy it's criminal [00:33:00] people seemed staff in shoe boxes. That's the size of a matchbox. Inside. So not only have you got more product being used and the packaging you've got more filler inside to stop this matchbox bounces. Yeah. I mean, we're, we're lucky in our industry that a lot of our packaging is actually packaging for restricted that meds, in which case.

[00:33:27] That clinics are the ones that we're trying to sell to. And so a lot of that marketing taking up space on the shelf so that people can see your product aspect doesn't really come into it. But that is definitely going to be a push pull for every industry going forward. Is that the reason that people put things in bid packages because they sell better.

[00:33:50] So how do we. Get consumers to understand that although things are coming in smaller packaging and, you know, I think there is starting to be an [00:34:00] understanding of that. How do we still get the visibility that those products want to try and get on the shelf? It's not an easy push pole. So secondary packaging is a bit easier while we're actually just looking at what we, what we send it in.

[00:34:13] We are a bit lucky in that. Mostly we're just trying to sell things to, to vets. That's still need that. It's not a, it's not a retail situation. It doesn't need to look pretty. It just needs to work. Honest packaging. We need to have, 

[00:34:28] Julie South: have you noticed an uptake and clinics or visit and, or visits or nurses asking you as Zoe Titus for more responsible?

[00:34:48] Packaging or disposal? 

[00:34:51] Kristen Baxter: Yes, definitely. We get asked quite regularly. Some things are easier than others, so. It's important to keep in mind that [00:35:00] whenever we register a product, the packaging is also part of the registration. If we want to change the packaging in a lot of cases, we're going to have to go back and redo all of the stability data.

[00:35:11] And so changes are not fast. It takes ages to get these sorts of things over the line. And it's. There are some things that we can change. However, relatively easily, as long as the label information is the same. We can sometimes change the size of the packaging. The registration requires all of the label information to be on the package.

[00:35:32] But for example, , which is one of our flea products, we're selling it in a smaller package than it used to be. But all of the same information is. For teat seal. For example, we provide teat seal in plastic buckets and the plastic buckets are, we have to have something to put all of the label information on.

[00:35:53] So it would be very difficult to make it innate, really small size package because it's a lot of [00:36:00] information to try and get on the really. Uh, package, but certainly from a vet clinic perspective, yes. We get asked all the time. I'm always getting phone calls from bets, from clinics, from our own colleagues, with ideas of things that we can look at.

[00:36:15] And it's really difficult to prioritize sometimes because it'd be really nice to get some wins on the board for some of the teams in our business that, you know, we haven't been able to do much with so far. Unfortunately the reality is we've only got so, so much time and money that. You know, get these things done.

[00:36:34] So we've prioritized. Based on how much of an impact they're going to make small products. They're going to get a lot less love than, than big products. And when I say smaller, I mean ones where the volume of waste that we're producing is less. They're not going to get as much love. Seals is our biggest product and is a really high waste product for what it is.

[00:36:54] So that's why that was one of our focuses. Also, there's a, there's a factor of how difficult [00:37:00] it is to do it. So depending on what the product is, some products because of the human health aspect or handling aspect are just a lot more difficult to deal with. But definitely in the interest from vet clinics is going up and it's just constantly rolling.

[00:37:14] We have an ESG email where people can send us ideas and we are happy to take them on board. If it's something we can do. Then we'll do it. Sometimes we can get little wins over the line, really fast. Certainly things like removing unnecessary packaging. We had one of our drench brands come in a really pretty silver box.

[00:37:34] For a couple of years. And when we started doing this work, we just started looking around and said, well, first thing we can do, we can get rid of that box, that box and serving any purpose. You know, all of the label information was already on the drums. So yes we can, we can sometimes make really good wins really quickly.

[00:37:51] And we definitely got some good feedback from our customers about that. Yes, we will. We will have all links and [00:38:00] the episode show notes page. Kristen. Is there anything that I haven't asked that you would especially like listeners to know we have a global audience, but most the majority about 65% of listeners are from New Zealand.

[00:38:21] I would say that it doesn't certainly as a livestock bet. It doesn't matter where you are in the world. We have such a role to play going forward. In the sustainability of our farmers, it's really important that we start to learn a bit more certainly in New Zealand, I know that our farmers are getting a ton of information coming at them from a lot of different aspects.

[00:38:45] We are over and over again, shown to be. The trusted advisors for farmers on farm or science-based. We can understand a lot of the stuff really easily being able to help farmers make decisions [00:39:00] that are going to improve the sustainability of their systems, and also do it in a way that's economic, because of course.

[00:39:08] Farms or businesses and they need to make money. There's a such a role for veterinarians to play. I would really encourage anybody who's even remotely interested in this to start learning a bit more about it, to find a way to work with your farmers, to take on that sort of advisory role, working with other professionals who have expertise in fertilizer, or have expertise in ecosystems and waterways.

[00:39:32] To find ways for individual farms to do better. It's important to understand that there's not going to be a one size fits all solution. It's definitely going to be dependent on the farm topography the farm system, because it's not going to be one size fits all, having a trusted advisor. There to help you make a decision about where you're going to invest your time and money is going to be really important.

[00:39:57] So vets, I think, have such an opportunity to take on that sort of [00:40:00] role. And I would, I would really, really encourage anybody who's interested to start with. 

[00:40:04] Julie South: Where would you suggest we as a good starting place? You've got a, say a large is bit and. The back of beyond somehow managing to get wifi and listen to this there's podcast.

[00:40:19] Where would you suggest they start? 

[00:40:21] Kristen Baxter: There's a lot of really good courses available, which you can take through a number of universities. Online. Massey has a great environmental management set up there where I've done my entire course online. I've gone in once or twice. But that that's about it. They've got a number of different areas that you can focus on and you can take, you know, I would say start with the class, finding something that you think is interesting and start looking at ecosystems or waterways or carbon footprinting, whatever draws your area, your, your expertise.

[00:40:56] The other thing is with the new hillwalker echo [00:41:00] Noah, the government plan for sort of. System's going forward. That's still being developed. There's probably going to be opportunities and training available under that for rural professionals going forward. So that's another thing to keep an eye out for.

[00:41:16] We haven't a hundred percent determined where that's going to go and what exactly it's going to look like, but it's basically going to be. The blueprint for farms going forward to try and reduce their carbon emissions and carbon emissions are such a critical part of our basically surviving on the planet for the next a hundred, 200, 500 years.

[00:41:37] That's where I would start have a look at classes, have a look at online stuff. And there's a lot of webinars for rural professionals as well to start to learn more about, for example, nitrogen. 

[00:41:48] Julie South: When you say, take a class that could be a short class, right? They don't have to enroll in the whole master's program.

[00:41:55] Kristen Baxter: Like. Yeah, no, there are, there are short classes available [00:42:00] as well. And I expect those are going to expand as we get more and more people need to be skilled up to help farmers make decisions. We're going to have that happening. Once we figure out what the blueprint is going to be. Keep an eye out and I'm sure that they will be online or in person classes for rural professionals going forward.

[00:42:19] A lot of it is just turning up. I'm surprised whenever I go to rural professional meetings, how often on the only bet when this is such an opportunity for us, and I know bets are busy, it is really a tough time to be working in practice. So I fully sympathize with that, but is, is we're going to be left with.

[00:42:36] Basically that's, aren't getting involved in this. Uh, we're going to leave this opportunity for other professions to take up. And I really think that would be a loss. What do you think is the most exciting aspect of sustainability? According to Kristin? The thing that excites me the most is, well, I, I spend a lot of time working [00:43:00] on product stewardship programs and packaging, talking to other Zoe, just markets about what they're doing.

[00:43:07] The thing that I actually find most exciting at the moment is that the work that we've been doing over the last couple of years with the full support of my leadership team, they have been amazing. Really has. Filtered down to all aspects of the Zoe, this New Zealand organization. I am so excited by the fact that all of my colleagues are 100% on board with sustainability to the point where every conversation, every topic, every marketing plan.

[00:43:43] Has sustainability included as one of the primary facets. And honestly, that is where we, that that is the thing. I am proud of stuff that we've managed to do because our team see how this impacts their customers. It helps us work together [00:44:00] and is such an opportunity for. So we just said also for New Zealand to really take a leadership role in this.

[00:44:08] I think that's probably the thing that I find most exciting. New Zealand has this amazing opportunity to take our already fantastic farming systems and be world leaders in improving our carbon footprint and figuring out how we can farm to carry on and provide healthy, safe food. For a lot of people in the world's going forward.

[00:44:34] And if we can start to get other countries to copy our systems, then we're going to be a lot better off south islands champion. Is there a north island or are you north island is, um, the south island stereo bets. We do have a north island stared vets, but I am the only sustainability lead. So I'm the.

[00:44:56] Sustainability person technically at. So we just, but [00:45:00] really the whole team is the sustainability team. So if somebody, if we've got a vet listening who wants to know more, where would you direct them to in relation to what you are doing? Oh, call me, I get phone calls from bets all the time. But email is Kristin dot Baxter, Zoe just.com or they can contact those that we disrupt and they'll put them through to me, part of the sustainable New Zealand, Facebook community.

[00:45:32] Yep. So there's a sustainable that practice group on Facebook, which is basically just a group of people who are mostly vets who are interested in sustainability and what we can do. And it's just been an opportunity for us to share ideas and work together. I would encourage people to follow the Facebook page.

[00:45:48] There's lots of tips and tricks that we put up regularly or programs that you could be involved in that give back clicks and opportunity. I think it would be great. And I don't personally have [00:46:00] time to manage this, but it would be great if one of the other organizations put out some guidelines for best practices on how they can start to improve their business operations, right.

[00:46:10] Business operations. Aren't the only way that we make an impact, but they are one way that we can make an impact. So doing things like we've moved to a hybrid fleet, there are some practices where that might be feasible, but. There's lots of options about how we run our businesses, that we can improve our sustainability.

[00:46:27] There's lots of good ideas on there. And I would really encourage people to have a look at listeners. I will put that link as well, but it's from memory it's sustainable fit practices, plural hyphen in seed, as. I think so. Yeah. Yeah. Instagram as well. The other thing I would say is it's really important that we keep in mind that people who are under a lot of stress, can't take on a one, this sort of new thinking new ideas [00:47:00] change is a lot more different.

[00:47:01] When you're struggling, a lot of bets are struggling at the moment. If your vet practice can't do anything and you guys can't manage to do anything right now, don't feel bad. Don't feel guilty. Things will get better. We really just need to focus on supporting vets who are having a difficult time, who are.

[00:47:20] Really struggling with being overworked. We've been in lockdown. It's been difficult having children home. Well, this is all fantastic stuff. It's really important that we take care of our colleagues first and take care of our customers and make sure that everybody is okay. Mental health is, is so critically important.

[00:47:39] I would really encourage his best practices to focus on that. And then when things are looking better, we've got more vets in the country and everybody's not quite so stressed then. Yeah. Let's look at doing something in the first instance, you can't do anything to help anybody else before you take care of yourself.

[00:47:56] So please, everybody take care of themselves. That is so important [00:48:00] because sometimes it feels like speaking personally. Cause that's any way you can speak, right. This person, I. There's just no more room in my head for anything new, because it's just full of stuff that anything else will just fall out the sites or I will fall over or something will happen.

[00:48:22] Julie South: Absolutely. Look after number one first. Thank you for saying that. I hope you found that informative. I'll put all the links that Kristen mentioned, plus a few more at paws claws, wet noses dot F M. Check them out on the episode 55 page the links including. An email address and information about fonterras sustainability program called the aura entitled the Fontera [00:49:00] cooperative difference.

[00:49:01] And if you're interested in doing some sustainability study, then Kristen's provided you with links to the sustainable business network. The climate action toolbox egg matters resources for rural professional seminars. Uh, linked to NPI. For their programs, as well as the New Zealand Institute of primary industry management.

[00:49:29] This is the third episode on sustainability. Thank you to everyone. Who's contacted me privately to say how. They're enjoying learning about what other Vetement professionals and clinics are doing, because it's given them some ideas in some way to start in their own clinics. If you've taken some baby steps along the sustainability journey, I'd like to invite you to share what.

[00:49:55] Either as a guest like Kristen today, or you can get hold of me by [00:50:00] via the pours clause with noses dot F M website, or you can leave a voice message that I can include in an upcoming episode. So you can share it yourself to do that. Go to the home page of paws claws with noses dot F M scroll down.

[00:50:18] You're looking for. Get in touch via voicemail link and it's red. So just click that and then you can start recording easy peasy and talking of easy peasy if you haven't done. So yet, remember to click that follow button wherever you listen to your podcasts. So you'll never miss out on an upcoming episode.

[00:50:42] It's free and it's just one click. Thanks for listening and for spending the best part of the last hour or so with me, I appreciate your time. This is Julie south signing off, and I'm inviting you to go out there and be the most amazing version of [00:51:00] you that you can be. Have a fantabulous day . God bless paws, claws and wet noses is sponsored by vet staff.

[00:51:12] If you've never heard of it, staff it's new, Zealand's only full service recruitment agency. 100% dedicated to the veterinary sector fit staff has been around since 2015 and works nationwide from Kate Wrangler to the bluff and everywhere in between as well as helping Kiwis fits. We'll say hubs overseas, qualified veterinarians find work and Aotearoa New Zealand