Election 2026: How Parties Would Lift the Arable Sector
As part of its Election 2026 coverage, Rural News asked political parties how they would help pull the arable sector out of the doldrums. Here's what they said:
OPINION: Greenpeace's criticism of the appointment of farmers’ champion Andrew Hoggard as Associate Minister of Agriculture and of the Environment is baffling.
They claim that Federated Farmers has long been the attack dog in the dairy industry’s predatory delay of climate action and water protection and blames farmers for badly polluted rivers, dangerous levels of nitrate contamination in rural drinking water and high levels of climate pollution.
Greenpeace conveniently forgets that farmers have planted thousands of kilometres of fencing on their farms and reduced nitrate leaching.
They also conveniently forget that sewage from urban centres have been washing up on our beaches and making them unfit for swimming.
Farmers, along with their milk processors, are already working to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions profile. That’s what make them the leaders in the global dairy community when it comes to sustainability.
Massey University vice chancellor Pierre Venter says his institute is moving from a period of austerity into a growth phase, based on their new strategy.
With the red meat sector going through a boom time with high prices, the time is right for the industry to step up its investment into developing new food products.
Meat Industry Association chief executive Nick Beeby says there’s now much closer cooperation between meat processing companies than there was many years ago.
A new fruit quality research laboratory has been opened in Auckland by agritech company Hectre to develop pioneering hyperspectral technology.
Farmer lobby Groundswell believes that farmers are worried about the implications of a potential centre-left government.
With less than a week to go before voters choose the next government, Federated Farmers has a simple message to its members - get out and vote.
OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.
OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.