Bikinis in cowshed
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.
Some of the 21,000 apple trees and plant material involved in the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) biosecurity action are very important to the industry, says Alan Pollard, Pipfruit NZ chief executive officer.
“The imports are a significant contribution to the industry because [they are] the next generation of cultivars -- improvements on existing varieties,” Pollard told Rural News. “So certainly it is significant.”
MPI has decided risky apple and stone fruit plant material imported from a US testing facility must be contained or destroyed to protect New Zealand from biosecurity risk. This follows an MPI audit in March which found notable failures at Clean Plant Centre Northwest in Washington State.
The industry may keep priority plant material as long as it’s properly contained while MPI determines if it can be tested for diseases so it may be released in the future. Almost 48,000 affected apple and stonefruit plants and small trees are secured at 50 sites in Hawke’s Bay, Waikato, Nelson and Central Otago.
Asked if he thought MPI was influenced by the High Court decision on the kiwifruit claim that found MPI’s predecessor MAF failed in its duty of care with Psa, Pollard says, “I think it certainly caused them to think about how they act and respond in these situations”.
“And I am not surprised they would do that. I think if I were in their shoes I would too.”
Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.
Environment Southland's catchment improvement funding is once again available for innovative landowners in need of a boost to get their project going.
The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.
A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.
OPINION: The phasing out of copper network from communications is understandable.
Driven by a lifelong passion for animals, Amy Toughey's journey from juggling three jobs with full-time study to working on cutting-edge dairy research trials shows what happens when hard work meets opportunity - and she's only just getting started.