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OPINION: A debate is brewing in Australia about the ethics of breeding smaller-than-normal animals.
Miniature highland cows are popular with the public in Australia but cattle societies and vets are questioning the ethics of breeding smaller-than-normal animals. A miniature highland cow is classified by its size — which is anything less than the standard size of 1.06 metres.
Most “minis” carry a gene linked to a growth disorder known as chondrodysplasia, which can cause dwarfism.
According to Professor Imke Tammen, from the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, the gene can be lethal if both the sire and the dam (mother cow) carry it.
The Veterinary Institute of Animal Ethics says breeding miniature animals prioritises looks over quality of life.
OPINION: Your old mate hears that at a recent China Business Summit, PM Christopher Luxon delivered a none-too-subtle "could try harder" report card on the red meat industry regarding its exports to China - particularly when compared to Australia.
OPINION: According to media reports, the eye-watering price of butter has prompted Finance Minister Nicola Willis to ask for a 'please explain' from her former employer Fonterra.
OPINION: As India negotiates to open its borders to more global products, dairy is proving a sticky issue.
OPINION: Paranoia about foreigners is at an all-time high in the US and attention is now turning to foreign-owned farmland.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change would be “a really dumb move”.
The University of Waikato has broken ground on its new medical school building.
Undoubtedly the doyen of rural culture, always with a wry smile, our favourite ginger ninja, Te Radar, in conjunction with his wife Ruth Spencer, has recently released an enchanting, yet educational read centred around rural New Zealand in one hundred objects.
Farmers are being urged to keep on top of measures to control Cysticerus ovis - or sheep measles - following a spike in infection rates.
For more than 50 years, Waireka Research Station at New Plymouth has been a hub for globally important trials of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides, carried out on 16ha of orderly flat plots hedged for protection against the strong winds that sweep in from New Zealand’s west coast.
There's a special sort of energy at the East Coast Farming Expo, especially when it comes to youth.
OPINION: Dipping global dairy prices have already resulted in Irish farmers facing a price cut from processors.
OPINION: Are the heydays of soaring global demand for butter over?
