Editorial: O Canada
OPINION: The Canadian government's love affair with its lifestyle dairy farmers has got it into trouble once again.
THE NOW-DEFUNCT 'clean streams accord' is to be replaced by a new one called the 'sustainable dairying water accord', promoted by the Dairy Companies Association of NZ (DCANZ), DairyNZ, Federated Farmers and others.
DCANZ executive director Simon Tucker says the new accord will focus on riparian, nutrient and effluent management, water use management and dairy 'conversations'. He believes while the clean streams accord had its critics, overall it was successful for the industry.
"With that expiring this year, we thought we should be doing something new. We talked to a lot of farmers, Federated Farmers, the dairy companies, industry stakeholders, central government, regional councils, iwi groups and environmental NGOs to get their feedback. The consensus came back that having a successor to the clean streams accord was a good idea."
The final detail of the new accord is still being hammered out, but it will have a distinctive Land and Water Forum, (LAWF) look about it.
Tucker was a member of LAWF and says at a fundamental level one of the key messages from LAWF was that the best way to address water quality and quantity concerns was to do it collaboratively. This requires the industry to work with the regulators and other stakeholders.
"The LAWF report identifies the need for 'industry good management practices' as a key to improving water quality. This new accord is all about industry self improvement and the adoption of good management practice.
"We had conversations around the LAWF table about where the dairy industry was going with a new accord and received a lot of positive feedback about it."
A Massey University researcher and veterinarian says it may be possible to reduce the percentage of ewes culled or that die each year on some New Zealand farms.
As Budget 2025 looms, farmer lobby Federated Farmers is urging the Government to focus on cutting waste and balancing the books.
The New Zealand/European Union free trade agreement (FTA) is exceeding the expectations of both parties and more good things are in the pipeline.
More Māori land is being used for growing commercial fruit and vegetables, according to a new report commissioned by Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ).
The primary sector is welcoming the appointment of Dr John Roche as the Prime Minister's new chief science advisor.
Groundswell NZ is ramping up its ‘Quit Paris’ campaign.
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OPINION: At its recent annual general meeting, Federated Farmers’ Auckland province called for New Zealand to withdraw from the Paris…