Tuesday, 16 November 2021 12:00

Body on the line!

Written by The Hound

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

OPINION: Your old mate has heard about rugby players putting their bodies on the line for their country, but not bureaucrats.

However, word has it that one of NZ's key trade negotiators in the recent FTA with the UK caught Covid-19 during a trade trip last month.

Vangelis Vitalis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's deputy secretary for trade and economic issues, accompanied Damien O'Connor on his trip to the United States and EU in October.

In a statement, MFAT confirmed that Vitalis had tested positive for Covid-19 while in Europe, it added that he was double-vaccinated, had experienced only milk symptoms to date and was recovering well.

Talk about taking one for the team!

I'm sure farmers around NZ will join the Hound in wishing Vitalis a speedy recovery and thank him for his efforts in helping secure better access for NZ primary products around the world.

More like this

Damien O’Connor: NZ united on global trade

When it comes to international trade, politicians from all sides of the aisle are united, says Labour's trade spokesman Damien O'Connor.

Wrong focus

OPINION: Your old mate reckons townie Brooke van Velden, the Minister of Workplace (or is it Woke Place) Relations is now showing how underemployed she is as a minister by initiating an investigation into whether young children should be banned from collecting eggs on farms and feeding animals.

Burn the village

OPINION: There's an infamous term coined by a US general during the Vietnam war, specifically in reference to the battle of Ben Tre: "We had to burn the village to save it."

Purist problem

OPINION: The sudden departure of Jim Ward, manager of Molesworth Station for 24 years, highlighted some major dysfunction in the way conservation estate is managed in this country - the biggest problem, as the Hound sees it, being idealogues who harp on about "taonga" and use all means possible to block sensible commercial operations on conservation land.

Drill baby, drill!

OPINION: While the destruction of NZ's oil and gas industry by Jacinda Ardern's band of merry vandals was virtue signalling on a heroic scale - producing no environmental benefit whatsoever - the politician vowing to make that industry whole again, Shane Jones, is not above a bit of virtue signalling of his own.

Featured

DairyNZ Celebrates Women Leaders on International Women’s Day

DairyNZ Chair Tracy Brown has seen a lot of change since she first started out in the dairy sector, with around one-third of dairy farmers now women.

Castle Ridge Station Wins Canterbury Supreme Environmental Award

Castle Ridge Station has been named the Regional Supreme Winner at the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

Lincoln Student Awarded Dairy Scholarship

The South Island Dairy Event has announced Jessica Findlay as the recipient of the BrightSIDE Scholarship Programme, recognising her commitment to furthering her education and future career in the New Zealand dairy industry.

NZ and Chile Sign New Agricultural Cooperation Deal

New Zealand and Chile have signed a new arrangement designed to boost agricultural cooperation and drive sector success.

DairyNZ Tests Heat Stress Solutions for Dairy Herds

New DairyNZ research will help farmers mitigate the impacts of heat stress on herds in high-risk regions of the country.

Bridge Pā Table Grape Harvest Starts Weeks Early

Budou are being picked now in Bridge Pā, the most intense and exciting time of the year for the Greencollar team – and the harvest of the finest eating grapes is weeks earlier than expected.

National

Federated Farmers Celebrates KiwiSaver Rule Change for Young Farmers Buying First Home or Farm

Federated Farmers is celebrating following the Government's announcement that young farmers will be able to use their KiwiSaver funds to…

Meat Industry Association CEO to Step Down

The Meat Industry Association of New Zealand (MIA) today announced that Chief Executive Officer Sirma Karapeeva has resigned from the…

EPA Approves Beetle to Tackle Chilean Flame Creeper

Environment Southland is welcoming this week’s decision by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to approve the release of Blaptea elguetai, a…

Government Declares Medium-Scale Adverse Weather Event in Bay of Plenty, Gisborne/Tairāwhiti, and Canterbury

Recent weather events in the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne/Tairawhiti, and Canterbury have been declared a medium-scale adverse event.

Pay Equity Crucial for Rural Communities - RWNZ

Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) says it welcomes the release of a new report into pay equity.

Machinery & Products

Kioti and Naïo Technologies Form Strategic Partnership to Develop New Agricultural Robot

Korean company Kioti reports that its European division and French company Naïo Technologies have formed a strategic partnership to develop…

Pöttinger Marks 25 Years in Seeding with Innovation from VITASEM to TERRASEM

Austrian manufacturer Pöttinger previously focused on grassland equipment then entered the arable sector with its acquisition of “Bayerische Pflugfabrik Landsberg”- the…