Displaying items by tag: Damien O'Connor

Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor has classified the severe weather that’s affected the West Coast and Top of the South as a medium-scale adverse event, unlocking Government support for farmers and growers. 

Pretty impressive - that's how Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor describes MPI's latest prediction that horticulture exports will hit the record $7 billion mark in 2023.

The ambitious goals of each of the primary sectors have come together in the past year to produce an outstanding result.

OPINION: Your old mate had a bit of a giggle at current Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor's effusive praise of the primary sector, when releasing the latest MPI SOPI report late last year.

New Zealand's primary sector will crack the $50 billion mark in export earnings this year with the horticulture sector playing its part, according to MPI projections.

As 2021 draws to a close and 2022 approaches, Leo Argent takes a look back at the year gone by, reviewing some of the major stories that appeared in Rural News which shaped farming industry news this year.

Fonterra chairman Peter McBride was immediately on the phone to Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor after the result of last week's capital structure vote.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the Government will fund two new research projects to investigate the impacts of regenerative farming practices.

A total of 34 graduate vets will be placed in rural areas this year, from Northland to Southland, through the Government's Voluntary Bonding Scheme for Veterinarians (VBS).

OPINION: Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has thrown a spanner in the works as far as Fonterra’s proposed capital structure is concerned.