increase font size
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Federated Farmers have restarted the national Feed Coordination Service to help farmers recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle.
The service is being operated by Federated Farmers, with funding support from MPI to assist farmers to source supplementary feed or grazing.
“Widespread flooding and winds from Cyclone Gabrielle have damaged pastures and crops, or swept away bales of feed,” Federated Farmers chief executive Terry Copeland says.
“It is a tough time for many farmers, especially those in Northland, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, and this is a practical way to provide support.
“The damage and destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle comes on the back of what has been a challenging, wet season for parts of the North Island.
“We know there are farmers across the country eager to provide any help they can.
“Having a national Feed Coordination Service has proved valuable in the past, including during the widespread drought in 2020 and the Canterbury floods in 2021, and we encourage farmers to use it.”
MPI said the service is up and running and ready to help.
“The unprecedented scale of these events means there is a need for coordinated support at national level to help match farmers with the supplementary feed or grazing they may need for their livestock,” MPI’s director of rural communities and farming support Nick Story says.
“MPI has staff in the regions helping with the cyclone response, but this is just another important and practical way we can support farmers to get back on their feet.
“It’s likely the worst flood-affected paddocks will be unusable for some time, so we expect demand for the service will increase further in the coming months.”
The national Feed Coordination Service helps match people with grazing or supplementary feed for sale to those who need it.
The service is also available to farmers in Otago and Southland experiencing extremely dry conditions.
Requests to list or seek grazing or feed can be made online or by phoning 0800 FARMING (0800 327 646).
Feed Coordination Service details:
Phone: 0800 FARMING (0800 327 646)
Or register online:
Grazing needed https://arcg.is/0eTPSK0
Grazing available https://arcg.is/OWneD
Feed needed https://arcg.is/11z9mz0
Feed available https://arcg.is/1azj0n
New Zealand's pest problem has reached crisis point, according to Federated Farmers' second National Pests Survey, which shows farmers are spending more money and effort on control — yet pest numbers keep climbing faster than they were two years ago.
Despite political shenanigans in Wellington, farmers are confident that Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms will get over the line in this term of Parliament.
Testing confirms H5 bird flu in a single northern giant petrel, found dead on a remote Cape Palliser beach in the Wairarapa, says Dr Mary van Andel, the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Chief Veterinary Officer.
The Government has announced it will pause key parts of Waikato Plan Change 1 (PC1) in a decision that is set to give Waikato farmers a reprieve from new consenting and farm-planning requirements while the wider resource management system is overhauled.
The apple sector is working with the Government to unlock access to two key markets that could bring millions in revenue for apple growers.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on household grocery budgets, new figures show pork remains one of the most affordable fresh meat options for New Zealand families.
OPINION: In politics, credibility is and should be big. It must surely rank higher than charisma, which is quite trite and superficial. Yet, voters nowadays are often wooed and influenced by how someone looks or talks at a superficial level. TV plays a huge role in this.
Farmers can spend less time on paperwork, thanks to a new data sharing agreement between DairyNZ’s DairyBase and LIC’s MINDA software.
Kaikōura families affected by July's severe storm have found a practical solution to a problem that's kept some children away from regular schooling for weeks: a washed-out section of Inland Kaikōura Road, which has stopped the local school bus from running its usual route.
Rural New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s recent package of rural healthcare initiatives.
Interest in agritech and production animal systems has prompted Massey University's School of Agriculture and the Environment to new majors to its popular animal science degree.
