110,000 visitors!
OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.
OPINION: It's been a bad week for Fonterra.
Firstly, they were accused of dumping nitrates onto its farms dotted around manufacturing sites.
Then came the news that 170,000 litres of skim milk spilled into the Tasman Sea from its Whareroa plant in Taranaki.
The leak left globules of fat dispersed along the foreshore of Ohawe and Waihi beaches, near Hāwera.
In a similar mishap in 2008, the dairy giant spilt 110,000 litres of skim milk into the ocean from the same plant.
In a statement, Fonterra says a valve fault caused milk to overwhelm the plant’s wastewater system, which released milk into the waste water drain instead of it reaching its intended location in another milk silo.
Six industry organisations, including DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ) have signed an agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to prepare the country for a potential foot and mouth outbreak.
The 2026 Red Dairy Cow conference will be hosted by New Zealand in March.
While global dairy commodity prices continue to climb in most key exporting countries, the second half of the year is expected to bring increased downside risks.
In a surprise move, Federated Farmers meat and wool group has dumped its chair Toby Williams.
Former MP and Southland farmer Eric Roy has received the Outstanding Contribution to New Zealand’s Primary Industries Award.
OPINION: Good times are coming back for the primary industries. From sentiment expressed at Fieldays to the latest rural confidence survey results, all indicate farmer confidence at a near-record high.
OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.
OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.