Te Puke student's passion rewarded
Despite experiencing the PSA outbreak first-hand growing up, Animal and Plant Health scholarship winner Sarah Wilson says deciding to study agribusiness was the best decision she could make.
Primary Industries Minister David Carter has welcomed immediate action on the recommendations of an independent review of import requirements and border clearance processes.
"I asked the Director-General of the Ministry for Primary Industries to commission an independent review of the relevant import health standards and border clearance processes in light of the outbreak of the kiwifruit vine disease, Psa," says Carter.
"The findings released by MPI have identified where improvements are needed, and I welcome the immediate action being taken by MPI to implement the review's recommendations."
Carter says he will be monitoring the work closely and expects a progress report within three months.
"When Psa was first discovered here in 2010, the Government moved rapidly to support the kiwifruit industry, committing $25 million in a dollar-for-dollar partnership to help manage the disease.
"This partnership has proved a valuable example in the development of Government Industry Agreements (GIA) which will see government and industry working more closely together to improve biosecurity readiness and response.
"I note that a call for better connectedness between government and industry groups is a key finding of the report.
"The GIA initiative is part of the Biosecurity Law Reform Bill which is currently before Parliament," Carter says.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand has no intention of backing down in a trade dispute with Canada over dairy products.
There have been leadership changes at the Hamilton-based Dairy Goat Co-operative, which has been struggling financially in recent years.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
OPINION: In recent years farmers have been crying foul of unworkable and expensive regulations.
Another 16 commercial beef farmers have been selected to take part in the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme designed to help drive the uptake of genetics in the industry.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Kiwi exporters will be $100 million better off today as the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into force.