Halter goes global, but NZ farmers remain core to innovation
Virtual fencing company Halter is going global but for founder Craig Piggott, New Zealand farmers will always remain their main partners.
NZ is an emerging leader in the provision of ag technology — providing for countries that increasingly need to feed growing populations, Primary Industry Minister Nathan Guy told a conference in Beijing yesterday.
"We recognise that increased trade is not just about more products being exported, it's about an exchange of knowledge, expertise, technology and services, and investment," he told the Development Research Centre Food Security and Food Safety Strategy Summit.
He said New Zealand and China's primary sectors were becoming increasingly interconnected through two-way investment and lengthening supply chains.
"Building our own capacity in isolation is not enough – we need to work with our partners to ensure a stable supply of food for our region," he said.
"Strengthening cooperation is a major focus of New Zealand's and China's 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership'. We are focussed on consolidating and expanding cooperation in agriculture, including strengthening cooperation in trade, supporting the capability-building of China's dairy sector, and implementing the new Food Supervisory and Traceability Cooperation Programme.
"This has been evidenced by the significant number of cooperation programmes that we have targeted to China's agricultural goals in areas where New Zealand has world class expertise.
"In particular, we have focused our efforts on technical cooperation in dairy, as China seeks to consolidate the recent gains it has made in the productivity and commercialisation of its dairy sector."
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
A leading financial and banking advisor says he doubts if most dairy farmers fully understand the dynamics of banking.
Dairy farmers are shoring up their balance sheets, with almost $1.7 billion of debt repaid in the six months to March 2025.
Virtual fencing company Halter is going global but for founder Craig Piggott, New Zealand farmers will always remain their main partners.
A former Fonterra executive is the new chair of the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ).
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