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.
The ‘wild west’ of the primary sector is what the Minister of Agriculture Damien O'Connor calls the bee industry.
O’Connor at the annual conference of Agcarm launched a full-scale attack on the industry, saying some beekeepers’ behaviour is putting the exports of honey at risk.
Many need a good shake-up, he said, pointing to alarming incidences of colony collapse. The health of the bee industry must improve, he said.
“The bee industry is the wild west of the primary sector. They have grown very quickly and not always in a sensible and rational way. I have told them that directly and we are happy to work with the sector to bring it into some order and to get more collaboration and a united sense of direction.”
O’Connor has also accused the industry of what he calls bee abuse.
“If you have overstocking and bees that are hungry and not being fed properly or not fed the right stuff, then that’s not good. Traditionally we have had a sound approach to all our livestock management and bees are no different; they need to be looked after and not abused for a commercial opportunity,” he says.
O’Connor says he personally has a passion for bees, describing them as amazing insects. But commercial opportunities have caused behaviour not always good for hive management and disease control.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is claiming “some real success” on the 12 policy priorities it placed before the Coalition Government.
Federated Farmers is throwing its support behind the Fast-track Approvals Bill introduced by the Coalition Government to enable a fast-track decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects.
The latest report from ANZ isn’t good news for sheep farmers: lamb returns are forecast to remain low.
Divine table grapes that herald the start of a brand-new industry in Hawke’s Bay have been coming off vines in Maraekakaho.
In what appears to be a casualty of the downturn in the agricultural sector, a well-known machinery brand is now in the hands of liquidators and owing creditors $6.6 million.
One of New Zealand’s deepest breeder Jersey herds – known for its enduring connection through cattle with the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II – will host its 75th anniversary celebration sale on-farm on April 22.