Genuine Hipkins
OPINION: At the recent NZ Dairy Industry Awards, opposition leader Chris Hipkins made a surprise appearance.
Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor along with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins launched the SOPI report at Fieldays.
O'Connor, forever the optimist, described the SOPI report as impressive given the tough times the primary sector has endured in the past 12 months. He says it's shown resilience and resourcefulness to get where it has. He says there will be headwinds, but NZ will handle these based on the solid foundations that already exist.
"We have always undershot with our forecasts, and I believe because farmers are innovative and adapt I think we will continue to grow our exports," he says.
A feature of the report says O'Connor is a focus on what is described as 'hyper traceability': identifying more precisely what's happening in the marketplace. He says this shows that there are expectations both from the supermarkets and the consumers who are now using a QR code to find out exactly where their products are coming from. He says all those in the primary sector need to be aware of the implications of this.
At the launch, PM Hipkins acknowledged the difficult couple of years the primary sector has been through, saying the objective of his government is to get rural communities back on their feet. He says there is reason for optimism and he spent much time talking up the benefits of the FTA with the UK.
"For the first time since the early 1970s our meat and dairy sectors have meaningful access to the UK market. The FTA also opens the door for increased collaboration in the agritech space in which NZ is a world leader. In a changing world, agritech has never been so important because it offers possibilities to improve farm efficiency, increase sustainability and reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture."
Farmers appear to be backing the Government's recent Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms announcement.
For the first time, all the big names in agricultural drone technology are being brought together under one marquee at the National Fieldays.
Fonterra has announced an improved third quarter performance – with a profit after tax of $1.15 billion, up $119 million on the same period last year.
The Fieldays Innovation Awards competition has attracted a diverse and impressive array of innovations from across the primary industries, highlighting the growing importance of technology shaping the future of farming.
Coming to the fore following the carnage of Cyclone Gabrielle, Starlink became well known for providing internet access even in NZ's most inaccessible places.
From this winter farmers will have a greater choice of feed types and blend options than ever before, thanks to Farmlands' purchase of animal nutrition company SealesWinslow.
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