Rural Contractors to Support New Farm Plastics Scheme
Rural contractors will be able to play a role in the revamped agricultural plastic recycling scheme with new regulations due for Cabinet signoff before this year’s election.
A rural recycling scheme will now include on-farm collection of large drums.
The new Agrecovery service offers free collection of empty containers 61-1000L from 14 participating brand owners of agrichemical and dairy products (Agrisource, Adama, Bayer, BioAg, Donaghys, Etec Crop Solutions, FIL, Farmguard, Orion Crop Protection, Post-Harvest Solutions, Ravensdown, Synergy, Syngenta and Yara). More brands are expected to join.
“A solution for larger packaging is a natural next step for Agrecovery,” says Adrienne Wilcock, who represents DairyNZ on the Agrecovery Foundation.
“Large scale farmers, spray contractors and dairy farmers especially should take note that their large drums and IBC’s can now be collected for free.”
Agrecovery currently recycles the containers of 60 firms – 1 million kg of plastic since launching in 2007.
“It’s a good way for farmers to divert more waste from farm dumps or burning pits, especially in areas where burning is banned, like Canterbury and Southland,” Willcock says.
“As a dairy farmer myself, I’ll be supporting the brands that offer this solution with Agrecovery.”
Dairy hygiene firm GEA FIL drums can now be recycled via Agrecovery.
In addition to free on-property collection of large drums, smaller FIL containers (60L and under) can be taken to any of the 70 Agrecovery collection sites. They must be empty, triple rinsed and free from dirt and residue inside and out.
Tel. 0800 247 326
www.agrecovery.co.nz
Signing up to a benchmarking tool is not about competition, but about improving collectively, says Ximena Puig and Alvaro Luzardo who are 50-50 sharemilkers at a 164-hectare (effective) dairy farm in Eketāhuna in the Lower North Island.
A leading British farming politician says he's impressed with the positive attitude of New Zealand farmers that he met during his recent trip here.
OPINION: With 10,500 dairy farms, New Zealand continues to punch above its weight around the world.
The Southern Dairy Hub (SDH), which runs a demonstration farm for South Island farmers, has a new general manager.
Esther Guy-Meakin has been announced as the new chief executive of the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
According to a progress report on the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan (AHAP), New Zealand's horticulture sector is making real progress on the big issues facing growers.
OPINION: The Irish dairy sector is facing a new dilemma - maintaining year-round fresh milk supplies.
OPINION: Could beef cows play an increasingly important role in improving profitability and resilience on hill country farms?