Crazy
OPINION: Your canine crusader was truly impressed by the almost unanimous support given by politicians of all stripes in Parliament to the recent passing of legislation for the NZ/EU free trade deal.
Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor has hit out at critics of the Government who want them to halt various water and climate change reforms.
He told delegates at the recent Red Meat Sector Conference in Rotorua that New Zealand "just has to keep moving on in that direction."
He claims the idea that we can keep on doing what we are doing is completely naive and will lead NZ up the wrong path.
O'Connor claims that the Government has been listening to critics of the freshwater reforms and has made changes.
"We have slowed down on the likes of the freshwater stuff.
"We took on board the signals that this was just dumb and that it hadn't been worked through in a practical sense," he says.
"We are listening, are trying to bring the people on the land with us, but we have to get the people on the land to understand that we are producing protein for some of the world's most discerning customers."
O'Connor claims these people want to know where our products come from and that we have looked after that production.
He says it doesn't help NZ's cause when farmers make mistakes with animal welfare or allow animals to be hock deep in muddy paddocks.
He adds that images and messages of these incidents are quickly picked up in the high value markets NZ wants to sell into.
In that respect, O'Connor says in his recent travels to the UK and Europe he was reminded once again of the market opportunities that await NZ because of our pasture-based system and general farm management systems.
He reckons these put us in the right spot for consumers who are interested in how we treat our animals, how we preserve our biodiversity and our commitment to research on issues such as climate change. He says little things like the bees that pollinate our pastures often get overlooked back in NZ but are often top of mind for overseas consumers.
O'Connor also gave a brief outline of his talks in Brussels and London.
"The UK is looking very positive and the EU says it plans to come back with an offer after their summer break," he told the conference.
"I would say the signals are positive as they want to connect with us because we share many of their core values.
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
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