Editorial: No joking matter
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
New Zealand's Ambassador to Ireland, Sir Lockwood Smith, says NZ has the kind of innovative agritech businesses that interest farmers in Ireland.
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) has for the first time exhibited at the Irish National Ploughing Championships, near Tullamore, County Offaly (Ireland midlands), on September 20-22.
Sir Lockwood told Dairy News at the event that NZ is exploring where its agritech businesses can be involved. Ireland has a similar farming system to NZ's so it’s natural that several NZ high-tech agri companies were at Tullamore.
The ploughing champs resemble NZ National Fieldays, with a massive array of farm equipment and technology visited by about 250,000. Notably different, though, is that the event is held every two years in a different location; it has no permanent venue but still crowds visit from all over Ireland.
Some dedicated souls are interested in the ploughing but the main attraction for visitors is the mass of exhibits.
Sir Lockwood says the Irish realise innovation is crucial to the sustainability of their farming industry and that R&D is very important. And though Irish and NZ farmers individually have concerns about markets, there is a lot of room for working together as NZ has done with US sheep producers. The similarity of farming in Ireland and NZ should help foster such cooperation, he says.
Brexit remains a hot topic in Ireland but it is too early to predict how the issue will pan out.
“The British government is exploring a range of approaches to the EU. We are working with them closely because of our experience in international trade negotiations. We are seen as a world leader in trade liberalisation, so the UK government is looking to us for help."
One issue to be resolved is whether or not the UK will have a customs union with the EU and what that might mean to trade with other countries.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
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