Rowarth appointed DairyNZ deputy chair
DairyNZ has appointed Jacqueline Rowarth as its first deputy board chair.
DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle says while farmers in the North Island have taken a hit from the weather, in the South Island the dairy season started well.
Mackle says this will lessen the impact in the overall drop in milk production for the season.
“Recognising some farmers have been particularly badly hit, in general I am still staggered that most farmers are coping well with all the issues they have been facing. Even when milk prices return to more normal or average levels, farmers will still need to run a tight ship, using pasture well and keeping a close eye on their costs,” he says.
While other dairy farmers worldwide have been hit by the global dairy crisis, Mackle says NZ farmers have suffered the most: they were the first hit by the crisis. The others, especially in Europe, were somewhat buffered by their strong domestic markets and EU subsidies.
But Mackle is concerned that as well as having to farm in difficult times and situations, NZ dairy farmers are constantly hit by negative publicity. This referse to recent video showing a handful of dairy farmers flaunting best-practice procedures in their ill-treatment of calves.
“There is no getting away from it; having grenades lobbed at them like this and [the public] questioning standard practices and values is upsetting for farmers. My advice is, they shouldn’t let it get to them because they know in their hearts that the vast majority are doing the right thing,” he says.
Mackle says this latest publicity highlights the need for the industry to explain to the wider public what are good, standard onfarm practices.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
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