Farmer fury
OPINION: The new Labour Government in the UK is facing the wrath of farmers. Last week thousands of farmers and their supporters converged in London protesting changes to inheritance tax for farmers announced in the Budget.
Volatile input costs, fluctuating commodity prices, a reduction in direct payments and one of the wettest periods in decades that resulted in a disastrous harvest, have left their mark and many UK farming businesses worse off.
That's the New Year message from National Farmers Union president Tom Bradshaw.
He says to cap a wretched year, farmers saw a new Labour government, which, after 14 years in opposition, promised to reset its relations with British farmers and deliver a much-needed lift to farmer confidence.
"Instead, it delivered an inflationary budget and all but removed the tax reliefs for agriculture property and business property," he says.
"In all my years in the industry I've never experienced the anger, despair and sense of betrayal following the Chancellor's announcement to changes to inheritance tax, which has long protected farming's ability to pass on farm businesses to the next generation, thereby protecting food producing businesses and the nation's food security.
"We saw these raw emotions play out at our mass lobby of MPs in Westminster, the farmer rally in Whitehall, and at the various tractor protests in London and around the UK, with tens of thousands of farmers expressing passionately how this tax will devastate their businesses, families, rural communities and national food security.
"We are keeping up the pressure on government, targeting those rural labour MPs, and with a powerful visual reminder from the banners going up all over the UK that the fight is far from over."
Bradshaw says that pre-election, there were several policies within Labour's election manifesto that provided optimism, and "we all need to see those delivered and at pace".
A robust system of core standards for food imports is essential to protect farmers and consumers from imported food that would be illegal to produce here and allow the economic marketplace to function properly, rather than NFU members being constantly undermined, he says.
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
Within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will need to manage its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth, conservatively valued at $150 billion in farming assets.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
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