Red line on dairy
OPINION: As India negotiates to open its borders to more global products, dairy is proving a sticky issue.
The world's biggest producer of milk, India, has a problem: at least 68% of dairy products sold there don’t meet the food standards.
Here’s more bad news: according to the World Health Organisation, if such adulteration were not checked immediately, 87% of citizens would be suffering from serious diseases, even cancer, by 2025.
So researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Hyderabad, seem to have found a way to help detect adulteration using a smartphone
A detector system will measure the acidity of milk through an indicator paper that changes colour depending on the level. The researchers have also developed algorithms that can be incorporated into a mobile phone to accurately detect the colour change. On testing milk spiked with various combinations of contaminants, the team found near-perfect classification with accuracy of 99.71%.
New Zealand's new Special Agricultural Trade Envoy, Horowhenua dairy farmer, company director and former Minister of Agriculture, Nathan Guy says the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India is a good deal for the country.
New figures show dairy farmers are not only holding on to their international workforce, but are also supporting those staff to step into higher-skilled roles on farm.
New tractor deliveries for 2025 jumped 10% compared to the previous year, a reflection of the positive primary sector outlook, according to the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA).
Entries have opened for two awards in the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) programme, aimed at helping young farmers progress to farm ownership.
Federated Farmers has confirmed interim chief executive Mike Siermans to the role.
Registrations are now open for the 2026 Ruralco Golf Classic, with all proceeds from the event set to support the Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust.
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