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Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.
A top-level primary industries taskforce will work through Brexit issues, the Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy told Federated Farmers.
He and Trade Minister Todd McClay and officials from MPI and MFAT plus people from DCANZ, Beef + Lamb NZ, the Meat Industry Association and Feds will steer the 'flexible' group advising and supporting formal government action.
Guy singled out biosecurity, calling on all New Zealanders to help protect the country from problem diseases and pests. He urged all primary producers to farm responsibly and he praised farmers for supporting the new bobby calf regulations.
"I acknowledge dairy farmers in particular have come a long way, investing $1 billion in the last five years to upgrade effluent handling on farms. And 96% of waterways on dairy farms are now fenced [but] you don't get acknowledged enough for what you have done.
"Now we want to work constructively with the beef sector on more fencing regulations. Consumers are more connected to what's happening inside the farmgate and our international markets are demanding more from us."
Guy called for an end to the "blame game" over water quality, a subject also touched on by Feds' president William Rolleston, who says farmers and townsfolk need to talk positively and work together to find solutions.
He accused news media of not focusing on good news. "I feel frustrated that the good news is so hard to get out and that bad news travels so easily. Some fantastic things are happening, but you don't see them splashed around the papers.
"The general public has always seen agriculture as being in a good space, but listen to the noise out there in media land and you probably get a different impression."
Rolleston says overall the mood of farmers is better than expected given the dairy payout, as evident at Fieldays. And he is pleased to see more younger people becoming active in Feds.
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Beef + Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland says that in these uncertain times, New Zealand needs to do everything it can to seize market access opportunities.
A verbal stoush has broken out between Federated Farmers and a new group that claims to be fighting against cheaper imports that undermine NZ farmers.
The New Zealand red meat sector has signed an open letter to parliamentarians from BusinessNZ, urging swift ratification of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Taupiri farmer Chris Woolerton is tipped to take over as Federated Farmers Waikato president from next week.
The Climate Change Commission has recommended maintaining the current New Zealand Emissions Trading System (NZ ETS) settings but warns of a potential unit shortfall as early as 2028.
The Conservative Party warns that the upcoming free trade agreement between New Zealand and India may prioritise increased labour mobility while offering limited reassurance for New Zealand workers.
Southland District Council says it is actively managing the impacts of the current fuel supply challenges to ensure essential services across the district continue to operate safely and reliably.
A large crowd turned out for the last of the field days of the three finalists in this years Ahuwhenua Trophy to determine the top Maori horticulture entity in Aotearoa New Zealand
National's decision to ‘dribble’ information about the NZ/India to Labour contributed to the delay in it deciding to supported the FTA.
A Hawke's Bay farmer has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half-months' home detention and disqualified from being in charge of or owning sheep and cattle for 12 months for serious animal welfare offending.
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