Crazy
OPINION: Your canine crusader was truly impressed by the almost unanimous support given by politicians of all stripes in Parliament to the recent passing of legislation for the NZ/EU free trade deal.
The Act Party is asking the Government to be transparent and clear with farmers regarding the potential for an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Australia.
“The party that subjected Kiwis to a daily broadcast from the podium of truth through Covid owes it to farmers to tell them the plan for Foot-and-Mouth,” says Act’s primary industries spokesperson Mark Cameron.
“The primary sector is our economic powerhouse, it accounts for $52.2 billion in export revenue, 81.8% of our trade, 11.1% of GDP, and employs hundreds of thousands of people,” he says.
Cameron says an outbreak of FMD in New Zealand would cripple the nation.
“It would shut the export industry down for months, or even years. The livelihoods of many hard-working farmers would go up in smoke and our wider economy would take a hit that is estimated to be around $15 billion,” he says.
“As the risk of incursion increases, the Government needs to be ready to pull out all the stops, and farmers need to know what the plan is.”
Cameron says he has heard from farmers across New Zealand who say that FMD would be “the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“They’ve already piggybacked our economy through Covid, any incursion would do lasting damage to our prosperity that would take decades to recover from.
“As the disease is rampaging across many tourist hotspots, our biosecurity system is our sole line of defence. All practical measures need to be in place to provide reassurance to rural New Zealand.
“No one will begrudge biosecurity officials for conducting stricter scrutiny at the border, the stakes are too high not to.
“Getting this wrong, almost doesn’t bare thinking about.”
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.