NZ Red Meat Sector Watches US Tariff Decision as Sheepmeat Exports Boom
New Zealand red meat exports are booming but a pending decision in the White House, Washington D.C., could dent sheepmeat earnings.
OPINION: Despite the volatility created by the shoot-from-the-hip trade tariff 'stratefy' being deployed by the new state tenants in the White House, farm commodity prices are holding their own.
The crash in U.S. bonds was the only guardrail that seemed to keep Trump's excess in check.
As investors and governments dumped US bonds (Canada and EU countries particularly using them as leverage in the trade war), the greenback devalued, pushing the relative value of the NZD up into the 60s.
Sharemarkets are all over the place and the geopolitical scene isn't great for confidence, to state the obvious.
And yet, as at 2 weeks ago, ASB reported lamb prices up 0.8%, beef up 0.4% and dairy up 2.1%.
And Stats NZ reckons March exports were excellent: dairy up 35%, meat up 34% and fruit up a whopping 74%.
Tayla Steele is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at Massey University in Palmerston North.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says no new cases of H5 bird flu have been detected following a case found earlier this week.
Two months after unveiling a major upgrade to its beef product, Halter says its farmers are on track for major production gains and additional grass growth.
New Zealanders are being urged to be alert following a confirmed positive case of H5 bird flu this week.
With a third of NZ dairy farmers still running outdated refrigerants, the country's largest farm refrigeration company says the opportunity for quick, meaningful emissions gains has never been clearer.
OPINION: Farmers are being put on notice by the Green Party.

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