Editorial: Live animal exports fight
OPINION: A public battle is playing out between supporters and opponents of live animal experts.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says he would like to seem more emphasis on sustainable growth of the value -- rather than volume – of New Zealand exports.
His comments follow the release of MPI’s latest Situation and Outlook report for Primary Industries (SOPI), which points to overall continuing growth in most primary sectors, but a shortfall on earlier predictions due to climate issues and a flattening of dairy prices.
O’Connor says in future reports he would want to see success as trends that show a lower volume of exports but higher returns. He says for too long the focus has been on the wrong numbers.
“This has been the focus of all sectors,” he told Rural News. “For example, forestry: we are increasingly exporting more and more logs.
“All the sectors have potential to extract greater value from what they do now and I want to work with them to clarify and identify [potential for] increasing value from what may be flat production levels.”
O’Connor says the dairy sector has reduced cow numbers yet retained production and profit; this has proven an option for some farmers. He also points to progress in the horticulture sector.
“By its nature [hort] is focused on the consumer and that discipline has better enabled them to respond to international trends and consumer preferences. All other sectors can learn more from that and we have to ensure the structure within NZ facilitates that focus and growth,” he says.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
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