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The Government will not stifle the growth of the dairy industry to limit its impact on the environment, says Deputy Prime Minister Bill English.
He says stopping the industry growing would be the easy solution but the Government is not keen on going down that path.
"As the political wind changes, you might end up with easy solutions," he told DairyNZ's Farmers Forum in Hamilton.
"We are picking the hard road."
Overall there will be environmental constraints and in some places they will bite but not everywhere.
English believes that there are significant enough changes in farming practices allowing farmers to be profitable and more productive with lower nitrates.
Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company has confirmed that chair and director Stephen Allen will retire at the co-operative's annual general meeting (AGM) on 3 December 2026, ending 30 years of service, including more than 20 years as Chair.
A new company set up to cultivate and supply seaweed for animal methane mitigation studies believes it could be a game changer for the dairy industry.
Wayne and Ange Moxham of Horowhenua have just been named as Fonterra's top organic performer for milksolids. As well as providing organic milk to Fonterra, the couple also sell Udderly Organic milk to more than 100 outlets in the region and are embarking on another exciting venture producing organic gelato. Reporter Peter Burke went along to see their farming operation.
Fonterra has reduced its forecast 2026/27 Farmgate Milk Price.
A five-year study has found that the cost of reducing emissions without technology may be significant and unsustainable for Northland dairy farmers.
State farmer Pamu has delivered its strongest operating result on record.
Four years since it was first detected in New Zealand, researchers and growers now know much more about management of maize pest fall armyworm (FAW).
The Government has announced it will pause key parts of Waikato Plan Change 1 (PC1) in a decision that is set to give Waikato farmers a reprieve from new consenting and farm-planning requirements while the wider resource management system is overhauled.
OPINION: The time has come for the Government to back the organic sector.
Plan ahead and be patient. That’s the message to farmers and horticulturalists from the chairman of the NZ Agricultural Aviation Association, Kent Weir.
The industry is crying out for graduates with agricultural related degrees.
