UK Politician Alistair Carmichael Praises "Positive Spirit" of NZ Farmers
A leading British farming politician says he's impressed with the positive attitude of New Zealand farmers that he met during his recent trip here.
OPINION: The Irish dairy sector is facing a new dilemma - maintaining year-round fresh milk supplies.
Ireland's registered liquid milk producers fell by 32 to 1196 in 2024, leaving just 7% of the country's dairy farmers supplying the liquid milk market.
Media reports say registered liquid milk supplies declined 4% to 424 million litres, while annual fresh milk consumption fell by 8 million litres (1%) to 564 million litres.
Industry leaders attribute the ongoing contraction to economic pressures, labour shortages, changing lifestyles and the stronger appeal of seasonal milk production, making year-round supply increasingly difficult to sustain. It's part of a broader trend that the UK's ability to read itself is waning.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.
Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.
The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.