Nothing for our most productive sector in Budget — National
Budget 2020 hasn’t provided anything of note for the primary sector at a time when it is leading our nation’s rebuild, National’s Agriculture spokesperson Todd Muller says.
Now that the circus surrounding the Budget’s release has subsided, Milking It makes the following observations about some of its contents.
Like other commentators, we can’t help but notice many of the spending allocations are not accompanied by policy outcome targets. No doubt burned by the Kiwibuild fiasco (‘10,000 houses a year’), the government now seems wary of setting specific targets. This will not help it spend billions wisely. Much moola could end up in the wind.
We also note some contradictions: nearly $2 billion for mental health is laudable, but is diametrically opposed to the likely effects of legalising dope. And $8.5 million is earmarked for research into reducing agricultural emissions. This is, at best, a token amount, given the scale of the challenge of meeting the punishing emissions targets suggested by the government. If James Shaw was serious about helping farmers reduce emissions in any way other than wholesale destocking, a bit more coin would have been in order.
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
A leading financial and banking advisor says he doubts if most dairy farmers fully understand the dynamics of banking.
Dairy farmers are shoring up their balance sheets, with almost $1.7 billion of debt repaid in the six months to March 2025.
Virtual fencing company Halter is going global but for founder Craig Piggott, New Zealand farmers will always remain their main partners.
A former Fonterra executive is the new chair of the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ).
New Federated Farmers national dairy chair Karl Dean is looking forward to tackling the issues facing the sector.
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