Strange bedfellows
OPINION: Two types of grifters have used the sale of Fonterra's consumer brands as a platform to push their own agendas - under the guise of 'caring about the country'.
OPINION: Last week's announcement by the Government to remove a decades-long ban on genetically engineered crops was generally well-received by farming and science communities.
Even the Greens and Labour are not ruling out supporting the legislation when it’s likely to be tabled in Parliament sometime next year.
But there’s one organisation, that’s still not budging – Greenpeace. The environment lobby claims that unproven genetically engineered methane inhibitors will not solve New Zealand dairy’s climate pollution problem.
NZ farmers are always looking for new technologies to help them improve their production, increase their profit, or reduce their environmental footprint, including emissions – ‘the climate crisis’. Removing the ban will help them immensely. Sadly, Greenpeace continues to see red over gene technology.
Additional reductions to costs for forest owners in the Emissions Trading Scheme Registry (ETS) have been announced by the Government.
Animal welfare is of paramount importance to New Zealand's dairy industry, with consumers increasingly interested in how food is produced, not just the quality of the final product.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay is encouraging farmers and growers to stay up to date with weather warnings and seek support should they need it.
The closure of SH2 Waioweka Gorge could result in significant delays and additional costs for freight customers around the Upper North Island, says Transporting New Zealand.
OPINION: The year has started positively for New Zealand dairy farmers and things are likely to get better.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Director General Ray Smith believes there is potential for an increase in dairy farming in New Zealand.