NZ red meat sector hits out at US tariff hike
New Zealand's red meat sector says the United States' decision to increase tariffs on New Zealand exports is disappointing.
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy is welcoming a new report showing a major improvement in bobby calf welfare last year.
MPI has vets at nearly every processing plant and in the 2016 season the mortality rate for bobby calves between farm and processing has halved – from 0.25% to 0.12%.
“This is a drop of just over 50% and shows that new regulations and education campaigns have made a real difference,” says Guy.
Also, calves are arriving at plants in much better health and condition. “This is also a significant drop from 2008 when the mortality rate was 0.68%,” says Guy.
“The wider industry and MPI have put a lot of work into improving practices over recent years and they deserve recognition for this.
“While there are still a few in the industry who need to improve their behaviour, this provides strong evidence things are improving.”
This is the first season with tighter new rules for handling bobby calves. And from August 1 this year truckies will have to use loading and unloading gear when young calves are trucked for sale and slaughter, and they must have appropriate shelter.
Guy has acknowledged the industry groups who in late 2015 formed a Bobby Calf Action Group – DairyNZ, Federated Farmers, the NZ Veterinary Association, Road Transport Forum, Meat Industry Association, Dairy Companies
Association of NZ, the NZ Petfood Manufacturers Association and MPI.
“The Government strengthened the animal welfare system with $10 million in new funding in 2015 and passed the Animal Welfare Amendment Act to improve compliance and enforcement,” Guy says.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.
A tiny organism from the arid mountains of mainland Greece is facilitating a new way of growing healthier animals on farms across New Zealand.
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