Federated Farmers Release 2026 Election Platform
With the general election just molnths away, farmers have launched a five-point plan for the next government.
OPINION: Election years are usually regarded as the silly season, but a mate of the Hound reckons 2026 is shaping up as the ‘stupid season’.
The latest ‘vote winning’ plan to move the homeless and the mentally ill out of the CBDs of our cities has some merit because they appear threatening and affect people going to shops or work in these areas.
But where do they go? No viable answer so far. And if they don’t move on, will the threat of a $2000 fine make any difference?
These people are begging for a few dollars, so your old mate reckons the chances of them paying a big fine are slim at best.
Let’s hope that the absurd doesn’t become the norm for the next nine months and that more practical policies are outlined.
Wishful thinking? Probably!
The recently signed free trade agreement with India is an invitation to strengthen relationships between the New Zealand and Indian strong wool industries, says Wool Impact chief executive Andy Caughey.
Strengthening the voice of vegetable growers on "big ticket items" will be the immediate focus of newly formed New Zealand Vegetable Council (NZVeg), says inaugural chair Alison Stewart.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the red meat sector is doing an excellent job promoting our pasture-fed system around the globe.
The European Union ramped up its presence at this year's Fieldays.
Moves are underway to create a single organisation to represent the country's beekeepers.
Analysis of decades of research has revealed the implementation of good farming practices plays a critical role in reducing nutrient losses to improve freshwater outcomes.

OPINION: Well-known and politically very neutral RNZ DJ John Campbell may be having politically neutral kittens about the news that…
OPINION: This one will upset the identity-politics obsessed snowflakes in Wellington.