Red meat rebound
The red meat sector is poised for a strong rebound this season, with export receipts forecast to top $10 billion and farm profitability to almost double.
Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) board chair Andrew Morrison has lost his board seat to Southland sheep and beef farmer Geoffrey Young.
In the election, part of the 2023 B+LNZ Annual Meeting process, Young received 8,777 weighted votes while Morrison received 6,587 votes.
Turnout in the Southern South Island director election, in an electorate which covers Southland and Clutha, was 36%.
Morrison’s term will conclude at the end of the B+LNZ annual meeting in New Plymouth on Thursday 30 March and the board will elect a new chair following the meeting.
The meeting will also mark the conclusion of Morrison’s term with the New Zealand Meat Board which will subsequently elect a new chair.
Meanwhile, the farmer director election in the Eastern North Island electorate has been postponed due to disruptions caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
A new process and deadline for voting for the ENI farmer director role will be announced following the Annual Meeting.
Current ENI director George Tatham, who planned to stand down after nine years, will continue in the role until the rescheduled election is completed.
The 2025 game bird season is underway with Hawke’s Bay and Southland reporting the ideal weather conditions for hunters – rain and wind.
A group of meat processing companies, directors and managers have been fined a total of $1.6 million for deliberately and illegally altering exported tallow for profit.
New Zealand’s top cheeses for 2025 have been announced and family-owned, Oamaru-based Whitestone Cheese is the big winner.
Waikato farmer, and Owl Farm demonstration manager, Jo Sheridan is the 2025 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
New Zealand’s special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr believes the outlook for the dairy sector remains strong.
Everyone from experienced veterinarians and young professionals to the Wormwise programme and outstanding clinics have been recognised in this year’s New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe (NZVA) awards.