Strange bedfellows
OPINION: Two types of grifters have used the sale of Fonterra's consumer brands as a platform to push their own agendas - under the guise of 'caring about the country'.
OPINION: Greenpeace boss and former Green Party leader Russell Norman claims there are about ten million beef and dairy cattle in New Zealand and that each one produces the same faecal load as about 14 people.
So, that's equivalent to 140 million people. 'It's just too much faeces and urine for the rivers, lakes and groundwater to handle,' Rusty laments.
However, as one Twitter user pointed out: the daily output of E. coli from a human is estimated at more than 11,000 more than that of a cow.
Also, dairy cattle are fenced from waterways and most of their effluent goes back on pasture.
Something for Russell to ponder!
Farmer confidence has taken a slight dip according to the final Rabobank rural confidence survey for the year.
Former Agriculture Minister and Otaki farmer Nathan Guy has been appointed New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy (SATE).
Alliance Group has commissioned a new heat pump system at its Mataura processing plant in Southland.
Fonterra has slashed another 50c off its milk price forecast as global milk flows shows no sign of easing.
Meat processors are hopeful that the additional 15% tariff on lamb exports to the US will also come off.
Fears of a serious early drought in Hawke’s Bay have been allayed – for the moment at least.