Bikinis in cowshed
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.
MPI celebrates 20 years since the birth of its biosecurity detector dog programme with a giant cake at the Christchurch A&P Show today.
The birthday event took place 10am at the MPI stand. Ministers Nathan Guy, Jo Goodhew and Steven Joyce attended, along with two biosecurity detector dogs.
MPI purchased the first beagles in 1995. Two of them started at Auckland airport soon after.
"Detector dogs have proven themselves as a very effective biosecurity tool for keeping New Zealand free of pests and diseases potentially carried by arriving international passengers and mail," says MPI border clearance director Steve Gilbert.
"They can pick up seeds and plants that can be hard to detect by x-ray. They also screen people faster than x-ray, and their visual presence sends a message to arriving passengers about how seriously New Zealand takes biosecurity."
He says 2015 is a big year for the MPI detector dog programme.
"We're gearing up with extra detector dog power for a busy summer – both in terms of passenger numbers and the heightened risk of fruit fly, due to outbreaks in Australia and other parts of the Pacific.
"We will have 24 new dog teams graduate from their training in December. This will be the largest number of dog teams to graduate at any one time in the history of MPI or its predecessors.
"The new detector dog capacity will allow us to screen all international flights arriving in New Zealand. So we've come a long way since our humble beginnings in Auckland 20 years ago."
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.
Holstein Friesian excellence was front and centre at the 2025 Holstein Friesian NZ (HFNZ) Awards, held recently in Invercargill.
The work Fonterra has done with Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, LIC and Ravensdown to save farmers time through better data connections has been recognised with a national award.
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