RWNZ chief executive to step down
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) chief executive Gabrielle O’Brien will step down at the end of June.
Butchers can now process pork, but only for supply to supermarkets and other retailers.
However, the Government says butchers will remain closed to retail customers because the risk of spreading covid-19 is too great.
PorkNZ had last week urged the Government to allow butchers to be allowed to process pigs and help prevent an animal welfare issue on farms.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says butchers are an essential part of the supply chain in NZ for pork.
At present, there is not enough capacity to hold surplus pigs on farms or pig carcasses in processing facilities, which could create an animal welfare issue, he says.
“We need them to operating to ensure that pigs can continue to be processed and are not backing up on farms leading to animal welfare issues.
”The pork industry is domestically focused with limited export to the Pacific Islands so there aren’t as many avenues to offload product into other markets.
“The pork industry raised this issue with Government and Cabinet agreed that there were strong enough grounds for a change to be made to address specific concerns in relation to animal welfare.”
O’Connor says the Government looked at allowing butchers to open for retail customers
“We carefully weighed the risk of allowing butchers to open their shops for retail customers, but the risk of spreading COVID-19 is too great so that will not be allowed”, O’Connor said.
“The aim in Alert Level 4 is to minimise retail outlets being open in order to minimise risk to public health. This decision maintains that aim while also ensuring there are no unintended adverse impacts on animals.”
O’Connor says butchers who choose to operate will need to follow health guidelines for distancing in the workplace to ensure staff safety and prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has informed staff it will cut 391 jobs following a consultation period.
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