RWNZ chief executive to step down
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) chief executive Gabrielle O’Brien will step down at the end of June.
Agriculture minister Damien O’Connor says the COVID situation has brought people back to the realities of food preparation and sourcing suitable produce.
He believes this is an opportunity for farmers – and others in the sector – to sell the story of how we produce our quality food.
O’Connor told Rural News that he’s proud of the way that the agri sector has adapted to the new set of circumstances.
He says they have had to meet the new health requirements in various workplaces – be it in an orchard, packhouse, food processing or meat processing plants.O’Connor says it’s great to see people doing the right thing.
“I think the primary sector have respected the opportunity they have been given and are supporting our objective of trying to get ahead of this virus.”
O’Connor’s been following social media and reckons most of the comments he’s seen are pretty sensible and endorse the general direction that the Government is taking.
“While there are anomalies around retail outlets and distribution of fruit and vegetables, we accept they are not perfect,” he says.
“We are trying to ensure that the production that comes from the primary sector does get to the customer – be it domestic or overseas.”
O’Connor says no one wants to see wastage of food at all in the area of vegetable production and says it is terrible to see food not fully utilised. He acknowledges that the restrictions under Level 4 lockdown have put pressure on some commercial growers.
He concedes that COVID-19 has added to the pressure that farmers had been feeling with the drought and general financial pressure.
However, O’Connor believes that rural people – many of whom live in isolated places – are possibly coping with the lockdown better that those in the larger cities.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
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