NZ Red Meat Sector Pushes for Swift India Free Trade Agreement
The New Zealand red meat sector has signed an open letter to parliamentarians from BusinessNZ, urging swift ratification of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
OPINION:This old mutt suggests that the election of Kate Acland as chair of Beef+Lamb NZ – after the electoral demise of former chair Andrew Morrison – has seen many people miss the family link to producer board organisations.
Acland’s uncle (by marriage), John Acland, was the chair of B+LNZ’s predecessor Meat NZ back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Meanwhile, John’s father, Sir Jack Acland, was chair of the Wool Board during the 1960s and early 1970s.
It seems the Acland family have had a long association with farmer levy funded bodies over the years, with Kate now the third generation of the family to take the reins.
The Hound reckons Kate will in time probably want to emulate the efforts of John Acland at Meat NZ who left the organisation on his own terms, rather than Sir Jack who resigned after a farmer-led coup against the organisation.
Sound familiar?
A verbal stoush has broken out between Federated Farmers and a new group that claims to be fighting against cheaper imports that undermine NZ farmers.
According to the latest ANZ Agri Focus report, energy-intensive and domestically-focused sectors currently bear the brunt of rising fuel, fertiliser and freight costs.
Having gone through a troublesome “divorce” from its association and part ownership of AGCO, Indian manufacturer TAFE is said to be determined to be seen as a modern business rather than just another tractor maker from the developing world.
Two long-standing New Zealand agricultural businesses are coming together to strengthen innovation, local manufacturing capability, and access to essential farm inputs for farmers across the country.
A new farmer-led programme aimed at bringing young people into dairy farming is under way in Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
The Government has announced changes to stock exclusion regulations which it claims will cut unnecessary costs and inflexible rules while maintaining environmental protections.