Green but not much grass!
Dairy farmers in the lower North Island are working on protecting next season, according to Federated Farmers dairy chair Richard McIntyre, who farms just north of the Horowhenua township of Levin.
Federated Farmers policy team staff reductions haven't just been about saving money or reducing headcount, chief executive Terry Copeland claims.
"We've also made some significant changes to the structure of our organisation to make sure we can deliver the best possible outcomes for our members with the resources we have."
Copeland told Rural News that as a result of the restructuring, its policy team would be reduced by 6.5 full-time employees (FTE) - with 3.5 being regional policy staff and three national policy staff. As four positions were already vacant this meant that only 2.5 FTE would actually be made redundant.
"We are working through that process now with staff," he says. "Federated Farmers still have 23 people working in policy across the country. This is a large and well-resourced team."
Asked about what changes were planned to distribute the present workload amongst a smaller number of employees, Copeland says Feds was working with its provincial presidents, board, and staff to prioritise work in the policy team.
"We will still be working on all the big things farmers expect us to be, but the reality is that we can't do everything," he says.
"We're also working with other groups like DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb NZ to see where we can get some efficiencies. We don't expect most members to notice much of a difference in the service they receive from Federated Farmers."
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand has no intention of backing down in a trade dispute with Canada over dairy products.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
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