Bikinis in cowshed
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.
OPINION: Around the traps, rumours are flying as to who scuttled the so-called joint agri sector response to dealing with agricultural emissions.
Two government departments, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Ministry for Environment (MfE), were both part of the partnership which came up with an agreed solution and put this to the politicians and officials. The farming industry groups trusted the departments and, when they put in their proposal, they had every reason to believe that the deal had effectively been done.
Not so. It seems that a whole new lot of officials, or maybe the same ones as well, and then the politicians started to get their grubby little hands on two years of hard work and negotiation and put their spin on the proposal.
Do such people know much about agriculture? For example, do they believe they’ll find a cryptorchid in a glasshouse? Who knows, but the honest brokers of HWEN must be wondering about the credentials of the people or political motives behind the Government response.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has stuck to the line that a simple fix is possible. One hopes he’s right, but if he isn’t, there will be no need for an Agriculture Minister in the future – but maybe a Minister of Carbon Forestry.
It would seem senseless that MPI would not work in farmers’ interests. They are a well led organisation and their chief executive Ray Smith is respected and universally liked by the agri sector. The suspicion is that the problem lies with MfE and there are rumours flying that the two departments are not at one over HWEN, but of course no one is saying or even whispering this.
It is also fair to say that while the farming sector is going about trying to work with Environment Minister David Parker, the relationship is testy, as is the relationship with MfE.
In the last few weeks, there has been compelling evidence to prove the initial HWEN proposal was fine and quite a compromise on the part of the ag sector. Sadly, interference – political or otherwise – is setting NZ on one of the most bizarre paths in its history.
All this raises the question: can you trust a politician? Famous Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev once said, “Politicians are the same the world over – they promise to build bridges even when there are no rivers”.
All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.
Claims that some Southland farmers were invoiced up to $4000 for winter grazing compliance checks despite not breaching rules are being rejected by Environment Southland.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
From 1 October, new livestock movement restrictions will be introduced in parts of Central Otago dealing with infected possums spreading bovine TB to livestock.
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.
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