Mark Hooper Joins NZPork Board as Independent Director
Rural leader Mark Hooper has been appointed as an independent director to the NZPork board, bringing extensive farming, governance and advocacy experience to the role.
New Zealand Pork chief executive Sam McIvor is stepping down after nearly six years in the role.
McIvor won't be totally lost to the pork industry. He is going to head up Wellington meat family Prestons. McIvor leaves NZPork in mid-March and a recruitment process for his replacement is underway.
NZP board chairman Ian Carter says McIvor has had "an action packed tenure during which we've endured a global economic crisis and domestically the industry has had some big issues to work through".
"Championing the industry's strong environmental standing, progressing the animal welfare changes and maintaining the industry's disease-free status have been significant pieces of work and Sam has shown strong leadership and the ability to work effectively with farmers through to politicians in this process".
McIvor is also credited for helping improve product quality and drive consumer demand for locally produced product.
"There is no doubt that consumers are much more aware now of the 700,000kgs of imported pork coming into the country each week and they're looking for NZ grown labelled products," says Carter.
Farmgate lamb prices are down by 8%, beef cattle by 4.5% and farm expenditure up by 4.2%.
Kiwifruit growers are watchful but remain optimistic as concerns around the potential effects of the El Niño weather pattern this season.
Almond hulls sourced from Australian orchards may have the potential to help New Zealand cows reduce emissions, boost milk yield and lower input costs.
Striking a balance between meeting the needs of industry to speed up approval time for products but on the other hand ensuring that risks are properly assessed.
Surprised, humbled and quite thrilled. That’s the reaction of James Allen, one of the founding partners and now chief executive of AgFirst, on being made a life member of the Institute of Rural Professionals.