Conveyance Allowance Increase Welcomed by Rural Women
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) and Federated Farmers say they welcome the announcement last week that the Government will increase the conveyance allowance by 30%.
Federated Farmers Waikato president Andrew McGiven believes animal numbers would have to be effectively halved to meet the 2050 target set by the Government's new Zero Carbon Amendment Bill.
He says food producers are very worried about the proposed bill.
“Even more galling is that no trees that farmers have planted in the last two decades to improve water quality and help with other environmental outcomes may be used as an ‘offset’ because the [required] methane cuts are [stated] in gross terms.
“So the only method is to halve the amount of feed to a ruminant animal, but that will in many cases create animal welfare issues.”
McGiven says the Bill showed him “what a complete farce the recent Interim Climate Change Committee (ICCC) consultation was with industry."
While farmers are unhappy about the unrealistic targets, environment group Greenpeace is also upset with the Zero Carbon Amendment Bill but for different reasons.
Greenpeace executive director Dr Russel Norman says the Bill grants no ability for enforcing its climate change targets.
“What we’ve got here is a reasonably ambitious piece of legislation that’s then had the teeth ripped out of it.”
New Zealand exports to the European Union have surged by $3 billion in two years under the New Zealand-European Union Free Trade Agreement.
A new joint investment of $1.2 million aims to accelerate farmer uptake of low-methane sheep genetics, one of the few emissions reduction tools available to New Zealand farmers.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has issued a stark warning about the global implications of the ongoing Gulf crisis.
Fonterra has announced interim changes to the leadership of its Global Ingredients business.
New Zealand agritech company Halter has announced unveiled a new direct-to-satellite technology solution for its smart collars for beef cattle, unlocking virtual fencing for some of the country's most remote farming regions.
Dairy Women's Network (DWN) has announced a new limited edition DWN Monopoly NZ Dairy Farming Edition, created to celebrate the people, places and seasons.
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