Beef Progeny Test 2025: Genetic insights for NZ beef industry
At Pāmu’s Kepler Farm in Manapouri, mating has wrapped up at the across-breed Beef Progeny Test.
Your canine crusader notes that the woke folk at Landcorp – sorry Pāmu – were recently crowing about recording a net profit after tax of $68 million for the half-year ended 31 December 2019.
While this may look good on the surface, your old mate reckons it is not as flash as it seems. Actually, in real terms, the result for the half-year was a gain of $22 million.
However, once you strip away the $7m the state farmer slashed in costs and a one-off gain of $6m from the sale of its shares in Westland Dairy – then it is more like $13 million.
However, when you consider Landcorp’s total asset base is $2.16 billion – then it is a very poor return for taxpayers.
This further begs the question just how chief executive Steven Carden can justify an annual salary of $795,950 when his organisation’s return is so poor and why taxpayers are still lumbered with carrying this dog?
Additional tariffs introduced by the Chinese Government last month on beef imports should favour New Zealand farmers and exporters.
Primary sector leaders have praised the government and its officials for putting the Indian free trade deal together in just nine months.
Primary sector leaders have welcomed the announcement of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand.
Dairy farmers are still in a good place despite volatile global milk prices.
Legal controls on the movement of fruits and vegetables are now in place in Auckland’s Mt Roskill suburb, says Biosecurity New Zealand Commissioner North Mike Inglis.
Arable growers worried that some weeds in their crops may have developed herbicide resistance can now get the suspected plants tested for free.

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