Jacqueline Rowarth

Jacqueline Sara Rowarth  is a New Zealand agronomist, dairy farmer and science administrator.

Career
Rowarth has an Agricultural Science degree with first class honours in Environmental Agriculture, and obtained a PhD in Soil science from Massey University, with a 1987 thesis titled  'Phosphate cycling in grazed hill-country pasture'. Rowarth taught plant science at Lincoln University. She returned to New Zealand to Massey University as full professor.

In October 2016 Rowarth became the first Chief Scientist of the Environmental Protection Authority. In 2018 Rowarth resigned from her role at the Environmental Protection Authority. It was later revealed that the EPA was warned her behaviour was damaging trust in the organisation, apparently due to comments to the media. According to Rowarth she was often misquoted.

As of 2021, Rowarth is a farmer-elected representative on the board of DairyNZ. She is currently a director of DairyNZ.

Rowarth has criticised veganism. She has argued that a vegan diet will not save the planet from climate change and has also argued that an omnivorous diet including a moderate amount of dairy products and meat delivers the required nutrients per person for least environmental impact.

Recognition

 * Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to agricultural science, in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours