Junket?
OPINION: The Hound notes that the Taxpayers’ Union recently revealed that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) spent more than $125,000 for its presence at this year’s Mystery Creek Fieldays.
In the past 49 years, the National Fieldays in Mystery Creek has welcomed over 4.3 million people.
Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation says the event has “successfully exposed a good part of our country to the Primary Industry, and passed on valuable information”.
“Over these past 49 years we have also exposed the NZ Primary sector to the world through our thousands of international visitors we welcome each year, the massive international media we welcome and our innovation we export annually.”
Cumulative sales from the Fieldays over the last 49 years have surpassed $18 billion.
“We are proud to be supporting our economy,” he says.
Nation says this year’s 50 Fieldays again have some new and exciting events.
Yesterday- the first day of the four-day event- saw nearly 25000 people pass through the gates.
The 50th Fieldays was opened by Governor General Patsy Reddy.
There have been leadership changes at the Hamilton-based Dairy Goat Co-operative, which has been struggling financially in recent years.
OPINION: In recent years farmers have been crying foul of unworkable and expensive regulations.
Another 16 commercial beef farmers have been selected to take part in the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme designed to help drive the uptake of genetics in the industry.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Kiwi exporters will be $100 million better off today as the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into force.
Making things simpler, not harder, for deer farmers in farm planning and coping with regulations is Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) industry capability manager John Ladley’s current focus.