Crazy
OPINION: Your canine crusader was truly impressed by the almost unanimous support given by politicians of all stripes in Parliament to the recent passing of legislation for the NZ/EU free trade deal.
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."
The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) has found itself in a stoush with NZPork over the controversial National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL).
Fonterra says the sale of its global consumer business and its Oceania and Sri Lankan operations could take 18 months to complete.
The lobby group the Methane Science Accord (MSA) says it welcomes a recent government move to seek outside advice on reducing biological methane targets, rather than relying on recommendations made by the Climate Change Commission.
Well-known scientist Jock Allison has passed away.
After a decade of consultation and court battles, Environment Southland has officially adopted a plan to prevent further decline in the region's water quality.
Farmers are throwing down the gauntlet to politicians - hold an independent inquiry into rural bank lending or face tough questions from the farming sector.