Picking winners?
OPINION: Every time politicians come up with an investment scheme where they're going to have a crack at 'picking winners' with our money, the Hound cringes.
OPINION: If the recent bloodbath the left suffered in the local election lurch to the right wasn't a clear enough sign that Labour are out of touch with the electorate, then the Government's farm emissions policy announcement is surely the final proof.
Determined to hobble the one industry that propped the economy up during recent trying times, Jacinda Ardern and James Shaw ignored the farm-level option put to them by industry representatives (in the form of the tepid He Waka Eke Noa proposal). What they've come up with looks like a virtue signalling exercise, designed to make the PM look good on the world stage, while throwing farmers under the bus.
The Feds aren't happy, and even the 'we must be at the table' mob at DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb expressed concerns at what the Government has settled on.
Farmers will be hit hard by this, and must now be wondering if their representatives got it wrong in the negotiation: is there any point being at the table, playing nice, if the other party isn't listening?
Animal welfare is of paramount importance to New Zealand's dairy industry, with consumers increasingly interested in how food is produced, not just the quality of the final product.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay is encouraging farmers and growers to stay up to date with weather warnings and seek support should they need it.
The closure of SH2 Waioweka Gorge could result in significant delays and additional costs for freight customers around the Upper North Island, says Transporting New Zealand.
OPINION: The year has started positively for New Zealand dairy farmers and things are likely to get better.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Director General Ray Smith believes there is potential for an increase in dairy farming in New Zealand.
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.