China’s new beef tariffs expected to favour New Zealand exporters
Additional tariffs introduced by the Chinese Government last month on beef imports should favour New Zealand farmers and exporters.
The Hound is quick to put the boot in when someone gets things wrong, so he has to confess to his own major cock-up in the last issue of 2023.
The old mutt must have hit the Christmas sherry a little too early when commenting on the performance of Rob ‘I don’t care where, as long as I’m chair’ Hewett’s tough year.
The Hound mistakenly and wrongly accused Hewett of overseeing a $98 million loss for Silver Fern Farms.
While poor old chairman Rob has many irons in the fire, he – of course – is not responsible for the Alliance Group, which actually reported a $98 million loss last year and not Silver Fern Farms!
The Hound was punished for this mistake by only been given bone and no meat for Christmas – much like Alliance Group’s farmer shareholders – and would like whole-heartedly to apologise to readers, SFF shareholders and Hewett for his mistake.
The sale of Fonterra’s global consumer and related businesses is expected to be completed within two months.
Fonterra is boosting its butter production capacity to meet growing demand.
For the most part, dairy farmers in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Tairawhiti and the Manawatu appear to have not been too badly affected by recent storms across the upper North Island.
South Island dairy production is up on last year despite an unusually wet, dull and stormy summer, says DairyNZ lower South Island regional manager Jared Stockman.
Following a side-by-side rolling into a gully, Safer Farms has issued a new Safety Alert.
Coming in at a year-end total at 3088 units, a rise of around 10% over the 2806 total for 2024, the signs are that the New Zealand farm machinery industry is turning the corner after a difficult couple of years.

OPINION: Meanwhile, red blooded Northland politician Matua Shane Jones has provided one of the most telling quotes of the year…
OPINION: This old mutt has been around for a few years now and it seems these ‘once in 100-year’ weather…