Pig farmers respond to new welfare standards
Pig farmers are cautiously welcoming new animal welfare standards announced by the Government last week.
Ham has been named New Zealand’s most popular meat for the 2021 Christmas feast.
The result comes as part of the Great Kiwi Christmas Survey which is run by Retail Meat New Zealand in conjunction with Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
The poll of over 3,300 Kiwis covers a range of Christmas traditions and debates, and this year saw pork take the lead with 36.2% of the vote – up 3.2% on 2020.
Lamb follows closely at 31.2% with beef at 10.9%.
David Baines, chief executive of NZ Pork says he isn’t surprised that, following a year of Covid-19 induced lockdowns, Kiwis are excited to come together with friends and family to celebrate.
“The holiday season is a time to celebrate – to catch-up with friends and family you may not have seen for a while, to share food and spend time together. New Zealand ham is the centrepiece of many Kiwi family Christmas tables and it’s no surprise why, it’s a delicious, traditional favourite that guarantees plenty of leftovers to enjoy in the days following,” he says.
Of those polled, 61.2% of respondents expect to have at least 1-2 days of leftovers, only 4.3% manage to eat it all in one day.
56% of Kiwis will be having two meals on Christmas day, with the majority sharing the day’s festivities with over 10 people (30.7%).
According to ASB, Fonterra's plan to sell it's Anchor and Mainlands brands could inject $4.5 billion in additional spending into the economy.
New Zealand’s trade with the European Union has jumped $2 billion since a free trade deal entered into force in May last year.
The climate of uncertainty and market fragmentation that currently characterises the global economy suggests that many of the European agricultural machinery manufacturers will be looking for new markets.
Dignitaries from all walks of life – the governor general, politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.

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