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OPINION: Your old mate reckons with the looming failure of He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN) it's not only the Government that should take the fall.
He suggests the leadership of industry bodies - particularly Beef+Lamb NZ and DairyNZ - should seriously consider their futures.
Both organisations' leadership and advocacy on behalf of farmers has been poor throughout the whole process.
They failed to get farmers on board, acquiesced to the Government time after time and consistently failed to push back on the sector's behalf.
Former B+LNZ chair Andrew Morrison lost his job when farmers voted him out - due to the HWEN debacle.
Many dairy farmers now believe it is appropriate that DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel should fall on his sword as he has been at the forefront of pushing the deeply unpopular HWEN.
South Waikato farmer Helen Mandeno recently delivered a speech at Beef + Lamb NZ's annual meeting in Nelson. She spoke in support of her remit on B+LNZ seeking majority consensus from levy payers before advancing policies that may threaten NZ's pure, grass-fed and non-GE status. Here's part of what she said:
DairyNZ has appointed Jacqueline Rowarth as its first deputy board chair.
An initial trial of an app, funded by Beef + Lamb New Zealand, has demonstrated significant results in reducing drench inputs during a small-scale study.
OPINION: Your old mate is still somewhat gobsmacked by sheer stupidity and lack of understanding by Beef+Lamb NZ’s board in asking for a pay rise at this year’s annual meeting.
DairyNZ board and leadership team were in Wellington late last month to relay what farmers see as priority areas for easing the regulatory burden on dairy farming.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
OPINION: The new government has clearly signalled big cuts across the public service.
OPINION: Your canine crusader is not surprised by the recent news that New Zealand plant-based ‘fake meat’ business is in…
