Bad smell!
OPINION: Your old mate had a bit of giggle at a recent article he read in the Irish Farmers Journal (IFJ), where the author was pondering on a rather smelly problem to do with veganism.
US actor Joaquin Phoenix is being accused of taking away UK farmers’ livelihoods.
Phoenix, who has been a vegan since he was three, had a go at farmers in his acceptance speech for the best actor award at the recent Oscars.
“I think we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world,” he said. “We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources. We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakeable. Then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal”.
National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president, Minette Batters claims he and other celebrity campaigners for veganism had played a part in demonising the UK’s meat producers and doing “enormous damage” to their wellbeing.
Batters said farmers fearing the imminent loss of their livelihoods and family holdings were in a state of stress and anxiety.
A Palmerston North shearer has been sentenced to six months' community detention and 12 months' supervision after being found to have physically abused three lambs while shearing them.
Power Farming has launched a joint venture in Southland.
Food rescue charity Meet the Need has released its 2025/26 Impact Report, revealing a record year of growth alongside a stark warning: demand for food support across New Zealand is rising faster than supply can keep up.
As we move into the second half of 2026, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) reports that Year-to-Date figures ending June 30 saw new tractor deliveries hitting 1,386 units or 10.7% ahead of the same period in 2025.
The avocado sector is entering the new season with a larger crop and positive market opportunities.
New Zealand growers have always adapted to changing conditions, but one challenge is steadily gaining ground across the horticulture sector: resistance.
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