Strong uptake of good wintering practices
DairyNZ has seen a significant increase in the number of farmers improving their wintering practices, which results in a higher standard of animal care and environmental protection.
It's crunch time for dairy and beef farmers as they decide how much the two sectors will pay, respectively, toward cleaning up the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis, likely to cost $870 million over 10 years.
Taxpayers are, through the Government, putting up $592m and DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ will pay $278m.
The Government has already paid out $25.6m in compensation to farmers and all infected properties remain linked by a single strain.
Of NZ’s 24,000 farms, 74 have been infected to date with 36 subsequently destocked and cleared of M. bovis.
On dairy and beef sector contributions things still aren’t clear. An independent committee has reported to industry leaders on how the bill should be split. The leaders remain tightlipped about the report and negotiations.
There is the risk the costs of eradication would grow if more livestock were culled.
There were about 20,000 dairy and beef farms in total. Much of the estimated cost was for the response and compensation. High-risk animal movements have been traced to 3000 farms and 858 are under surveillance.
ASB economists had done some early calculations on how dairy revenue might be affected, assuming all the losses were confined to that sector.
The impacts on dairy revenue were not straightforward. The cull was equivalent to 2 - 3% of the national dairy herd, after conservatively assuming 10% of those culled would have been culled anyway.
An assumed 3% loss of dairy production at a milk price of $6.05/kgMS implied $356m of foregone revenue. The value of slaughtered cows would be about $250m.
The beef industry would also bear impacts. The impact of additional livestock slaughter on meat prices needed to be seen in the context of 4.2 million cattle being slaughtered every year.
Federated Farmers, which has a foot in both sectors, is hoping for a fair split.
Dairy industry sources say an 80/20 split between dairy farmers and beef farmers would be fair. However, beef farmers are pushing for a 90/10 split, pointing out that dairy farms are at the centre of the outbreak.
The leaders have a decision to make, one which must satisfy everyone on this crucial and challenging journey to eradicate M. bovis.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the relationship between New Zealand and the US will remain strong and enduring irrespective of changing administrations.
More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.
The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) says securing more China label registrations and developing its own nutritional manufacturing capability are high on its agenda.
Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.
As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.
The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.
OPINION: Fonterra may have sold its dairy farms in China but the appetite for collaboration with the country remains strong.
OPINION: The Listener's latest piece on winter grazing among Southland dairy farmers leaves much to be desired.