National Pest Management Plan for TB seeks feedback
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
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.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.
A tiny organism from the arid mountains of mainland Greece is facilitating a new way of growing healthier animals on farms across New Zealand.
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