Rural Lobby Groups Seek Clear Election Positions On Farming And Emissions
Centre right parties are backing policy positions pushed by three farmer lobby groups ahead of the general election.
OPINION: Environment Minister David Parker, likely in the final weeks of the job, remains hell-bent on burning bridges with farmers.
Parker, who has never been a favourite of the farming sector, recently labelled members of rural ginger group Groundswell NZ as “dinosaurs”.
The group was founded in 2020 by farmers Bryce McKenzie and Laurie Patterson in response to a series of regulations the group says are “unworkable”. It has built up a reputation standing up to the Government where industry-good organisations have failed.
Parker’s recent outburst is understandable. With Labour on the ropes and Groundswell urging rural voters not to vote Labour, Parker knows that rural voters who backed Jacinda Ardern in 2021 are on the move again.
A Waihi dairy farmer, Keith Torrens, has been convicted and fined $39,000 for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent following a prosecution taken by Waikato Regional Council.
Taranaki's sunshine and energy sector expertise are powering a new approach to renewable energy, with the launch of BlueGreen Frontiers.
Meridian Energy says it welcomes the Fast-Track Panel's draft decision proposing the easing of access restrictions on Lake Pūkaki hydro storage for a three-year period.
The science underpinning New Zealand's dairy, beef and sheep grazing systems was largely established from the 1950s onward, but new analysis shows that the climate those systems were built for has shifted significantly.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) has unveiled a new tool to help sheep farmers better understand the genetics in their flock and make more informed decisions.
Classified as an unwanted organism under the Biosecurity Act, the invasive weed velvetleaf can be resistant to many herbicides, making it difficult to control, while statistics note it has the potential to reduce yields by up to 70%.
OPINION: Reckless action by Greenpeace in 2024 forced Fonterra to shut down a drying plant for four hours, costing the co-op…
OPINION: The global crusade against fossil fuel is gaining momentum in some regions.