Editorial: Passage to India
OPINION: Even before the National-led coalition came into power, India was very much at the fore of its trade agenda.
New Zealand needs to work hard on developing special trading relationships with Japan and Mexico, according to the Head of Global Agri for KPMG, Ian Proudfoot.
He says NZ is relying on the TPP to deliver but is unrealistic as Proudfoot believes there is very little likelihood that this will happen. But he adds, given the importance of Japan as market for our beef, the need for FTA with the Asian giant is critical.
Proudfoot reckons the dairy industry also faces some new challenges caused by the breakdown of the relationship been the United States and Mexico and further uncertainty caused by Donald Trump’s election.
“Mexico was the largest buyer of American skim milk and it seems they have significantly reduced their buying at the moment, which will mean that the US will have to find different markets for some of that product and SE Asia is one of the potential markets,” he told Rural News.
“This means they will compete with NZ products destined for that market; so that means we could see some changes here in NZ pretty quickly over the next couple of GDT auctions.”
Proudfoot also has concerns that the apparent fast recovery in dairy prices is leading to complacency, which he thinks is a problem. He’s found, in recent years, there is a strong correlation between better prices and complacency and says farmers need to continue to watch their cost of production otherwise they will get caught out financially.
Proudfoot says because of the fast recovery, some farmers who had been planning changes have suddenly put these on hold.
Meanwhile, he says overall American milk production is up and there are no signs of a reduction in Europe. Proudfoot is not so sure that milk production in NZ will be down as much as predicted a year ago.
He says while some farmers are suffering from both drought and wet, many had a better November and December and this may reduce the drop in local milk production.
Angus Barr and Tara Dwyer of The Wandle, Lone Star Farms in Strath Taieri have been named the Regional Supreme Winners at the Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Dunedin.
OPINION: The distress that the politicians and bureaucrats are causing to the people of Wairoa and the wider Tairāwhiti is unforgivable.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
World Veterinary Day falls on Saturday 27 April.
OPINION: The new government has clearly signalled big cuts across the public service.
OPINION: Your canine crusader is not surprised by the recent news that New Zealand plant-based ‘fake meat’ business is in…