Council urged to delay rate hikes
A Southland farming leader wants the regional council to delay a proposed regional rates hike, much of which is intended to fund flood protection works.
NEW ZEALAND FACES risks to its environmental and economic future if issues facing the sheep meat industry are not resolved, says Environment Southland chairman Ali Timms.
Timms says there is widespread and growing concern in the community about the dire situation of the sheep meat industry. She planned to discuss her concerns to the Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy yesterday.
"The minister needs to recognise that if the issues facing the sheep meat industry are not addressed the Government will face barriers in meeting its economic growth agenda, and regional councils will struggle to meet the water quality goals of the National Policy Statement on freshwater," she says.
Regional councils seek to balance environmental and economic gains, she says. Southland and many other regions around the country are facing water quality issues as a result of elevated nitrogen (N) levels. Recent estimates put the average losses of N/per hectare/per year in the Southland area at about: Dairy platform 30; intensive sheep/beef/deer farms 12; extensive sheep/beef/deer farms 6; dairy support (intensive winter grazing) 55
"It is clear that the generally less extensive nature of red meat farming really helps to lower the overall environmental footprint in rural Southland," says Timms.
Timms says she isn't asking for the Government to directly intervene, but she is pushing the case for national leadership because it will be difficult to meet the targets of the NPS without the sheep meat industry having long-term viability.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.