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).
Thirty meetings, which a total of just 400 farmers attended – barely a baker’s dozen per meeting.
Given that there are some 23,400 sheep & beef farms in NZ (BLNZ Farm Facts 2021) the low turnout suggests a huge wave of apathy afflicting B+LNZ’s funders.
The roadshow followed the 2024 AGM which featured a poorly-timed attempt to hike directors’ fees and one of the worst-ever voter turnouts at just 12%.
At the time, chair Kate Acland blamed farmers’ busy schedules, ‘divisive’ social media and climate change remits for the low turnout.
What’s the excuse this time?
On top of the cost of the roadshow, B+LNZ spent a fortune promoting it.
The Hound humbly suggests the ‘no show’ suggests they’d already lost the room.
