ACT MPs Slam Green Party's Fertiliser Ban Policy
Retiring MP and dairy farmer Mark Cameron is blasting the Green Party for proposing to ban the use of synthetic fertiliser and cutting cow numbers.
Fifty Shades of Green campaigner Mike Butterick is encouraged by the level of support his group is getting from farmers and other rural people.
He says it is succeeding in raising awareness of the issue of too many trees being planted.
Butterick has had positive talks with Shane Jones and Damien O’Connor and he thinks they understand the issue.
Everybody is trying to get to a desired outcome, he told Rural News.
“Reaction from farmers is huge, and not just farmers. Provincial business people and employers are also supporting us. We are there for provincial people to voice their concerns as well.”
Butterick says the campaign has taken a lot of his time and has grown into an unbelievable beast. It’s all about democracy, getting motivated and taking action, he says.
It started when someone telephoned him about the issue and he decided to take the lead.
“I am passionate about rural and provincial NZ and feel that something is wrong and I want to put it right.”
Oamaru-based livestock handling specialist Te Pari has bought Combi Clamp, the New Zealand manufacturer of Combi Clamp manual sheep handlers.
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has admitted that a scheme bringing workers from Pacific nations to work on orchards has become too hard to navigate but says changes are coming.
A new app designed in New Zealand aims to help sheep, beef and deer farmers capture, analyse and use body condition score data more effectively.
Canterbury farmer Andy Macfarlane has been appointed to the board of AgriZeroNZ, the public-private partnership designed to accelerate the development and deployment of emissions reduction tools for New Zealand farmers.
For over 50 years Mel Ewers has been supporting the apple sector navigate through compliance and quality assurance issues.
The apple sector is enjoying a bumper harvest season.

A fair question has been raised about how member-funded organisations should conduct themselves when taking a public position on any…
OPINION: It really is getting harder to lampoon government bureaucrats when they do such a good job of it themselves.…