National Lamb Day set for 2026 return
National Lamb Day is set to return in 2026 with organisers saying the celebrations will be bigger than ever.
Rangitikei hill country farmer Andrew Stewart has been elected the Western North Island farmer director.
Sitting Beef + Lamb NZ farmer director Scott Gower has been voted out by farmers.
The results of voting for the Western North Island electorate show Rangitikei hill country farmer Andrew Stewart getting 4233 weighted votes to Gower’s 3502 weighted votes – a winning margin of 731.
Stewart joins the B+LNZ board at its annual meeting in Rotorua next week.
B+LNZ board chair Kate Acland congratulated Stewart and thanked Gower for his work as the incumbent director.
“I know Andrew will bring new thinking and fresh ideas, along with a determination to be future-focused and I look forward to working with him on the board,” says Acland.
Turnout for this director election was just short of 13%, which is on par with other comparable organisations, says Acland.
“This was pleasing given it was the first year of moving to online- only voting. I really encourage farmers to get involved and have their say via the voting process whenever they have the opportunity” Acland says.
Gower will be formally farewelled after the annual meeting.
Acland thanked Gower for his six years of service.
“Scott has made a fantastic contribution during his time as director bringing a large-scale, grassroots hill country farming perspective to the board table. As chair of the people & culture committee he played an important role in the refresh of B+LNZ’s strategy and the appointment of our new CEO. I wish him all the very best for his next endeavours.”
Three New Zealand agritech companies are set to join forces to help unlock the full potential of technology.
As the sector heads into the traditional peak period for injuries and fatalities, farmers are being urged to "take a moment".
Federated Farmers says almost 2000 farmers have signed a petition launched this month to urge the Government to step in and provide certainty while the badly broken resource consent system is fixed.
Zespri’s counter-seasonal Zespri Global Supply (ZGS) programme is underway with approximately 33 million trays, or 118,800 tonnes, expected this year from orchards throughout France, Italy, Greece, Korea, and Japan.
Animal owners can help protect life-saving antibiotics from resistant bacteria by keeping their animals healthy, says the New Zealand Veterinary Association.
According to analysis by the Meat Industry Association (MIA), New Zealand red meat exports reached $827 million in October, a 27% increase on the same period last year.

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