State roadshow talking all things wool
'A lot of interest and positive responses' appears to be the way farmers are viewing the Government's initiative to hold a series of woolshed meetings around the country.
Freshwater farm plans will be improved to make them more cost-effective and practical for farmers.
The coalition Government says the current system for creating freshwater farm plans is to costly and complex.
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard says a fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm and catchment.
“Farmers faced an avalanche of regulation under the last Government, including its national Freshwater Farm Plans system.
“Using property and catchment specific farm plans makes sense because they can be used to identify environmental risks and plan practical on-farm actions to manage those risks.
“The current system is too costly and complex, and too broadly applied. We want to make sure that the cost of completing a farm plan, in both time and money, is matched with the level of risk.
“It is important that councils and the community can have confidence in the robustness of the freshwater farm plan system as an alternative to local rules and consents, where and when appropriate.
“We believe that farm plans should be able to highlight the work that many farmers and growers are already doing to reduce the impact of farming activities on the freshwater environment.”
Several regions have already started implementing freshwater farm plans in specific areas, including Waikato, Southland, the West Coast, Otago, and Manawatū-Whanganui.
“We want an enduring system that builds on the good work of farmers in these regions while making sure that any improvements to the system don’t result in sudden changes to plans already being developed,” says Hoggard.
“We are exploring how to make any changes fair for all farmers.
“As part of this, we may look into whether current requirements to complete a freshwater farm plan could be paused while improvements are developed.”
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.
New Zealand farmers are committed to making their businesses more resilient to climate change and are embracing innovation to help them do so.
Atiamuri farmers Paul and Lesley Grey never gave up their dream of owning their own farm – and in 2020, that dream came true.