Bucknell to chair NZPork's board
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
Farmers NZ-wide are being urged to lift their biosecurity – particularly on overseas travel and visitors – after a possible outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) was mooted in the Philippines earlier this month.
NZ Pork general manager David Baines says the outbreak, if confirmed, is a real concern for the NZ pig industry and the wider agricultural sector, which employs many workers from the Philippines.
He says the big worry for the pig sector is that farm workers from NZ could come in contact with the disease while visiting the Philippines and bring it back to this country.
“NZ’s pig farmers have very strict biosecurity practices, and are extremely careful about when workers and visitors can enter their farms after travel and especially when in contact with other pigs,” Baines said.
“Experienced farm workers from the Philippines play a large, positive role in NZ’s agricultural sector and work NZ-wide. So, we’re asking farmers and their staff to take a close look at the risks -- for example, if workers are travelling home to visit family and may come into contact with backyard pigs -- and take precautions to manage them.”
Baines says the industry is concerned that the disease could enter NZ via contact with infected animals or even on an item of clothing and be transmitted to pigs here.
“We are asking everyone in the community to be vigilant, observe biosecurity protocols and report any suspected signs immediately to MPI.”
Meat co-operative, Alliance has met with a group of farmer shareholders, who oppose the sale of a controlling stake in the co-op to Irish company Dawn Meats.
Rollovers of quad bikes or ATVs towing calf milk trailers have typically prompted a Safety Alert from Safer Farms, the industry-led organisation dedicated to fostering a safer farming culture across New Zealand.
The Government has announced it has invested $8 million in lower methane dairy genetics research.
A group of Kiwi farmers are urging Alliance farmer-shareholders to vote against a deal that would see the red meat co-operative sell approximately $270 million in shares to Ireland's Dawn Meats.
In a few hundred words it's impossible to adequately describe the outstanding contribution that James Brendan Bolger made to New Zealand since he first entered politics in 1972.
Dawn Meats is set to increase its proposed investment in Alliance Group by up to $25 million following stronger than forecast year-end results by Alliance.