Crazy
OPINION: Your canine crusader was truly impressed by the almost unanimous support given by politicians of all stripes in Parliament to the recent passing of legislation for the NZ/EU free trade deal.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says farmers want greater certainty around water issues and he promises they will get this from the coalition government in the coming year.
He told Rural News the Government understands the unease that this has created – along with a whole lot of other issues including high farm debt in the dairy industry.
“But we will deliver a practical, realistic proposal on water that satisfies the demands of the wider community, but also allows farmers – many of whom have been moving in this direction for years – to get to the point of better water quality over a generation.”
O’Connor says in the coming year biosecurity will put constant pressure on the farming sector. He says all NZers need to be vigilant in respect of this issue and there is an ongoing need to improve our biosecurity systems.
O’Connor claims that in this election year the National Party will exploit the division between rural and urban communities at the expense of farmers.
“This is an outrageous proposition that they have run out at every election. In my view, building a consensus on what we agree on is what we should be doing,” he says.
Another issue on the radar this year says O’Connor is the outcome of Brexit and gaining a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU. He says Brexit continues to create uncertainty and NZ will have to work hard to broker an FTA which is beneficial to both parties and to the world in general.
“They need to see our commitment to climate change initiatives, know we have high standards of animal welfare management, that our production is efficient and ethical and that we have done a very good job is making ourselves very efficient producers of protein - particularly dairy and meat,” O’Connor told Rural News.
“We have to get alongside their producers and say the world does need more high quality protein and we can both sell into their market and share some of the challenges of maintaining demand for livestock protein.”
O’Connor believes we should be partners with the EU, not competitors.
Federated Farmers is throwing its support behind the Fast-track Approvals Bill introduced by the Coalition Government to enable a fast-track decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects.
The latest report from ANZ isn’t good news for sheep farmers: lamb returns are forecast to remain low.
Divine table grapes that herald the start of a brand-new industry in Hawke’s Bay have been coming off vines in Maraekakaho.
In what appears to be a casualty of the downturn in the agricultural sector, a well-known machinery brand is now in the hands of liquidators and owing creditors $6.6 million.
One of New Zealand’s deepest breeder Jersey herds – known for its enduring connection through cattle with the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II – will host its 75th anniversary celebration sale on-farm on April 22.
Rural trader PGG Wrightson has revised its operating earnings guidance, saying trading conditions have deteriorated since the last market update in February.