Biosecurity tops priorities for agribusiness leaders - report
Biosecurity remains the top priority for agribusiness leaders, according to KPMG’s 2025 Agribusiness Agenda released last week.
Primary sector leaders interviewed by KPMG predictably rate biosecurity as the top issue for NZ's primary sector.
Then follow food safety, delivering market signals to producers and rural broadband.
KPMG's global head of agribusiness, Ian Proudfoot says connectivity in rural areas needs to be the same as in urban areas.
"Rural broadband is transformative. It unleashes a huge opportunity to grow the prosperity of NZ," he explains.
"It changes how you can deal with social services, how a business can portray itself to the world and how a business can more effectively produce its products.
"In the cities broadband is still accelerating the speed at which people can download movies or access entertainment, but that doesn't drive economic growth in NZ. Fast connectivity in rural areas will do this and it's a game-changer."
While the Agribusiness Agenda praises the amount of money the Government puts into science funding, it slams the bureaucracy for the way it runs this funding.
After 10 years of this criticism it appears no one has done anything to streamline the funding, Proudfoot says.
Costly, time consuming bidding for contestable funds is a bureaucratic overkill, doubt lurks about whether the right science projects are being funded and a feeling persists that market-led research is being overlooked. Asked if the system is effective, Proudfoot says a resounding "no!"
The report says this 'fourth industrial revolution' demands unpalatable decisions and awkward discussion to enable NZ to retain its place in global markets. Some NZ products may no longer be the best for our markets.
We need a forum where conversations on difficult topics – genetic modification, intensive farming, water and land use – are discussed. Proudfoot suggests creating an independent 'NZ Commission' tasked with facilitating such discussion.
"We are facing big issues that will define what the future for NZ is in 50-80 years; the biggest is genetic modification. The perception is that we haven't defined GM in the same way as the rest of the world, and as a consequence we are hobbling ourselves in competitiveness."
Without a rational conversation on such difficult topics, the issues will continue to fester, he says.
Commercial fruit and vegetable growers are being encouraged to cast their votes in the Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) board directors' election.
A unique discovery by a Palmerston North science company, Biolumic, looks set to revolutionise the value and potential of ryegrass and the secret is the application of ultraviolet (UV) light.
A New Zealand company is redefining the global collagen game by turning New Zealand sheepskin into a world-class health product.
With further extreme weather on the way, ANZ Bank is encouraging farmers and business owners impacted by the recent extreme weather and flooding to seek support if they need it.
New Zealand must continue to educate Chinese consumers about the unique qualities of its red meat products and how they differ from competitors, says Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dan Boulton.
There are opportunities outside the farmgate for young farmers to further develop their skills, says 2025 Primary Industries Emerging Leader Award winner Bridie Virbickas.
OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the…
OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left…