Food safety gong for Fonterra staffer
A Fonterra staffer has become the first person from the dairy industry to win a prestigious food safety award.
Northland farmers caught up in the Mycoplasma bovis saga can now access government assistance from a local office.
Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) this morning officially opened its M. bovis regional hub in Whangarei.
MPI recovery coordinator for Northland Alison Whiteford says up until last month, affected farmers in Northland were managed from the Hamilton hub.
She says technical support staff needed on farms for recovery work were based in Hamilton.
“There is so much M. bovis-related activity over here so it’s good to have a central office for the region,” she says.
Northland farmers can now more easily access vet support as they deal M.bovis on their farms, she says.
The new office will have 12 case managers based full-time.
Whiteford says the new office will ensure greater access to MPI support for farmers.
Primary Industries Minister Damien O’Connor officially opened the office.
The Climate Change Commission wants the new Government to reduce NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction volumes as son as possible.
Southland-based Mataura Valley Milk can now lay claim to be the first all-electric dairy factory in New Zealand.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
Meat co-operative Alliance Group has bagged four gold medals at the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards, achieving top honours for every cut entered.
There is increasing evidence that dairy demand is on the upswing, according to Rabobank senior agricultural analyst Emma Higgins.
Fertiliser use in New Zealand over the 18 months is about 25% down from what it consistently was for the previous decade or more, says Ravensdown chief operating officer Mike Whitty.
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