Auckland Man Fined for Selling Illegally Slaughtered Pigs
An Auckland man has been fined $6,000 for offering to sell illegally slaughtered pigs.
The director-general of MPI has praised the dairy industry saying its performance in the past year has been tremendous.
Speaking to Dairy News from the Fieldays, Ray Smith noted the sector produced more milk per cow than it did previously and that was outstanding given that livestock numbers are down.
"Dairy has come through this amazingly well and you will see that growth continuing," he says.
Smith says the past 18 months have been challenging and stressful for everyone involved in the primary sector - both in government agencies and the private sector.
He says Covid has thrown up a whole new set of challenges especially around labour and logistics.
His main observation at Fieldays was that people were happy to get away from their day to day business and there was a good vibe amongst farmers and sector leaders.
"We gave a presentation on our programme - Fit for a Better World - and this was well attended and people came away happy that we as a sector had a plan to lift growth, sustainability and attract more NZers to work in the primary sector. Everyone was positive about the fact that we were working to lift all sectors and not trade anyone down," he says.
Smith says people realised that in these difficult times they were not alone.
The primary sector is leading New Zealand's economic recovery, according to economist and researcher Cameron Bagrie.
Dairy industry leader Jim van der Poel didn't make much of the invitation he received to the recent New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards in Rotorua.
Farmers around the country are going public big time, demanding their local district, city and regional councils come up with amalgamation plans that meet the needs of rural communities and don't allow urban councils to dominate.
The battle for the rural vote is on and parties are securing high profile names to try and bolster their chances at the general election.
Horticulture New Zealand says proposed changes to the Plant Variety Rights Act 2022 will drive innovation, investment and long-term productivity.
More than 1200 exhibitors will showcase their products and services at next month’s National Fieldays, with sites nearly sold out.
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