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OPINION: Your old mate reckons a nasty war looks to be brewing in NZ farming politics.
For the past 18 months or so, the Groundswell lobby group has been stirring up farmers around the country over freshwater reforms, greenhouse gas taxes and a myriad of other issues troubling the rural sector.
It has also taken regular pot shots at the establishment lobbies such as Beef+Lamb and DairyNZ, accusing them (probably quite fairly) of cuddling up to the Government and selling out the sector time and time again.
All of this tension has now come to a head with the end of the recent farmer 'consultation' meetings held by HWEN (basically BLNZ and DairyNZ in drag).
Groundswell has accused DairyNZ of shutting down options; DairyNZ accused Groundswell of spreading misinformation and being offensive.
Pass the popcorn, this could get interesting.
A drop in methane targets announced by the Government this month has pleased farmers but there are concerns that without cross-party support, the targets would change once a Labour-led Government is voted into office.
OPINION: This old mutt is loath to sound like Groundswell has been topping up his bowl with brisket off-cuts, but the ginger group makes a good point about the arguments raised in favour of toeing the Paris Agreement line.
The ACT Party's call for a better deal on the Paris Agreement on climate change is being backed by farmer organisations.
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.
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."
Relationships are key to opening new trading opportunities and dealing with some of the rules that countries impose that impede the free flow of trade.
Dawn Meats chief executive Niall Browne says their joint venture with Alliance Group will create “a dynamic industry competitor”.
Tributes have flowed following the death of former Prime Minister and political and business leader, Jim Bolger. He was 90.
A drop in methane targets announced by the Government this month has pleased farmers but there are concerns that without cross-party support, the targets would change once a Labour-led Government is voted into office.
Farmer shareholders of meat processor Alliance have voted in favour of a proposed $270 million joint venture investment by Irish company, Dawn Meats.
The former chair of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and farmer, Doug Leeder, says rural communities' biggest fear right now is the lack of long-term certainty over environmental regulations.
OPINION: Media luvvies at Stuff, the Spinoff and the Granny Herald are spending more time than ever navel-gazing about why…
OPINION: Why does it take Treasury so long to turn around its figures on how the economy is tracking?
