Cuddling cows
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its cows and instead charge visitors to cuddle them.
OPINION: Rising living costs in the UK have pushed the price of cow’s milk, a staple for households across the UK, above dairy-free alternatives for some shoppers.
A two-pint bottle of own-brand milk now costs £1.25 (NZ$2.50) on average across four of the UK’s main supermarkets, a 36% jump since January.
The nearest comparable own-brand alternatives, which come in one-litre bottles, cost £1.05 ($2.10) for soya milk, £1.07 ($2.14) for almond milk and £1.24 ($2.47) for oat milk, according to retail research company Assosia.
Typically, plant-based products such as oat milk have cost more than cow’s milk, with some cafes facing criticism for charging extra for the non-dairy options. Vegan activists and customers suffering from lactose allergies have even complained that the charges are discriminatory.
They can’t complain any more.
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New Zealand and Malaysia have agreed to boost trade for high-quality halal meat products.
Convictions and fines totalling $112,500 have been imposed on a logging company for repeated environmental damage on a farm near Wahi between August 2022 and October 2023.
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Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) and the Government will provide support to growers in the Nelson-Tasman region as they recover from a second round of severe flooding in two weeks.
Rural supply business PGG Wrightson Ltd has bought animal health products manufacturer Nexan Group for $20 million.