Farmers oppose work visa changes
Farmers are crying foul over changes announced by the Government this week to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme.
Farmers are unhappy with Greenpeace’s latest attempt to protest against intensive dairying.
Federated Farmers says a report released last week by the lobby group titled ‘Sick of too many cows’ is another “misguided attack” on the primary sector.
“This is Greenpeace doing a good job of what they do best -- plenty of headlines and hyperbole”, says Chris Allen, Federated Farmers’ water spokesman.
“Particularly disturbing is their accusation that irrigation and farming causes cancers and infectious diseases.”
Allen says the latest Greenpeace attack smacks of desperation, “and leaves little room for constructive dialogue with no concrete language throughout the report”.
The Federation also finds it ironic that the Havelock North water contamination outbreak is raised, yet it had nothing to do with dairy farming nor so-called industrial farming or irrigation.
“It’s unfortunate they have not researched basic facts about irrigation and proposed schemes. For example, the businesses signed up to the Ruataniwha scheme are horticultural enterprises, arable and sheep and beef farmers.
“There are no new dairy conversions among the 190 farmers signed up, and only one irrigator will expand an existing dairy farm by a mere 100ha.”
Rural trader PGG Wrightson has revised its operating earnings guidance, saying trading conditions have deteriorated since the last market update in February.
It's been a bumper season for maize and other supplements in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
Leading farmers from around New Zealand connected to share environmental stories and inspiration and build relationships at the Dairy Environment Leaders (DEL) national forum in Wellington last month.
AgriZeroNZ, a joint venture fast-tracking emissions reduction tools for farmers, is pouring $5 million in a biotech company to develop a low emissions farm pasture with increased productivity gains.
Fonterra is teaming up with wealth app provider Sharesies to make it easier for its farmer shareholders to trade co-op shares among themselves.
Te Awamutu dairy farmers Doug, Penny, Josh and Bayley Storey have planted more than 25,000 native trees on the family farm, adding to a generations-old native forest.