Planting to feed the bees
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) have released a handbook offering guidance on how to plant strategically to feed bees.
New Zealand’s bee industry has appointed a consulting firm to advise the industry on how best to unify under one representative body.
Currently several bodies and membership organisations represent the industry. A situation, which is inefficient and stifles industry development, says Kim Singleton, Chair of the Interim Industry Working Group established to manage this project.
“This process is about exploring options that provide a more effective and better resourced industry organisation and to do that we need an outside look in. That’s why we’ve brought in a consultancy firm.”
Singleton says Catalyst Limited will lead the project and work with a range of industry stakeholders over the coming months. They will consult and research a number of viable options with the most appropriate organisational structures and funding mechanisms.
“It’s about both leading and supporting the bee industry more proactively.
“The bee industry is worth over $5 billion a year to the New Zealand economy and there is plenty of scope to expand that level of return. However, we need to have the right infrastructure and resources in place to facilitate the industry’s continued development.” Singleton concludes.
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.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.