Be afraid
OPINION: Your old mate hears some of the recent uptick in farmer confidence has slipped since the political polls started leading a bit to the left, away from the current coalition of National, Act and NZ First.
ACT MP and farmer Mark Cameron is calling on Parliament to thank farmers by reinstating provisions within the Resource Management Act that prevent regional councils from factoring climate change into their planning.
He says that the current laws have seen councils pile compliance costs onto farmers in favour of climate action.
“Currently, councils are allowed to use the Resource Management Act to impose a confusing array of restrictions on how New Zealanders use their land, supposedly to cut emissions,” says Cameron.
“These changes were made by the previous government, essentially sacrificing property rights to the altar of the climate gods,” he adds.
In June last year, Cameron who introduced a member’s bill seeking to clarify the framework for managing greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand by removing the ability to set rules on the basis of national environmental standards for greenhouse gas emissions.
He says it is impractical to expect regional councils to tackle global climate issues.
“It’s an exercise in futility, especially since emissions are already managed at a national level through the Emissions Trading Scheme,” Cameron says.
“If one council clamps down on emissions, it simply shifts high-carbon activities to another region. Plus, councils lack the capability to account for carbon offsets companies might have elsewhere in the country,” he says.
Cameron says that local governments needs to be focused on roads and rates.
"Kiwi farmers are the most efficient in the world, and my bill would be a helpful step to enable them to focus on what they do best: growing the food that fills our bellies and bringing in the money that keeps our economy ticking."
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
Within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will need to manage its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth, conservatively valued at $150 billion in farming assets.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
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