Editorial: Sensible move
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Farmers want the Government to open available space in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) to bring in much-needed workers for the primary industries.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins estimates that the Australian quarantine-free travel bubble will free up 1,000 to 1,300 beds in MIQ a fortnight.
"MIQ spacing has been continually quoted as a barrier for getting the workers we need. With more beds becoming available, it should now allow those with agricultural skills to enter the country," Federated Farmers immigration spokesperson Chris Lewis says.
"With continued low unemployment and the majority of available workers remaining in the urban centres, all of the primary industries are crying out for labour."
Farm Source, a leading job website for the dairy industry, currently lists over 1,100 vacancies on farm, far higher than the usual numbers for this time of year, Lewis wrote.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
Holstein Friesian excellence was front and centre at the 2025 Holstein Friesian NZ (HFNZ) Awards, held recently in Invercargill.
The work Fonterra has done with Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, LIC and Ravensdown to save farmers time through better data connections has been recognised with a national award.
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its…
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content…