Fonterra investing in Synthetic milk

[C_T_Russell]

How is any of this supposed to help farmers?
Probably using genetic engineered organisms to make the stuff in much the same way as insulin.

You seem to be missing the point. Synthetic manufacturing of proteins will be a phase change in what is involved in how we produce food and associated proteins. The role of farming as we know it now will reduce drastically, as will the amount of land and energy needed to do so.

The knowledge of how our future is likely to change on this front gives those involved the opportunity to upskill to best advantage from the new production methods. In the same way that horse breeders, stable keepers and blacksmiths were made superfluous to a large degree with the introduction of the internal combustion engine so too will the need for livestock farmers reduce. They would do well to put their agricultural and horticultural skills, and land, to use in growing alternative products.

Sounds just as bad a plan to me, sucking nutrients out of the land to grown plants that get processed into synthetic products, still needing fertilizer applied. Would probably be a higher demand on nutrients than grass for beef.
Biofuel is a total con for example, all that corn should be used for food.

as long as I can still buy a decent steak i'll be happy

The anti-farmer brigade would have that gone. They think we should be eating fake meat but no way. Meat should be meat!

I've just got fillet out for dinner. I prefer Scotch fillet, but when an ex-export special has whole eye fillet cheaper than SF I don't mind chopping it up for the freezer.

Animal rights groups such as SAFE are totally anti farming too and have a huge influence.
You cant beat real meat.
At this rate they are wanting us to eat insects to save the planet. You probably have already consumed insect protein in some products.