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Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard
OPINION: Satisfying, but not at all surprising, that the messages from agriculture sector groups to new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins were more or less entirely in tune.
When the Governor-General signed the warrant confirming him as our 41st prime minister, Feds released a statement urging that the policy “reset” Hipkins had talked about should centre on slowing down the legislative rush and prioritising things that will help families and businesses prosper. As it happened, that same day Beef + Lamb NZ and the Meat Industry Association released a policy manifesto that B+LNZ chair Andrew Morrison said should be “compulsory early reading” for the new PM.
In all honesty, if you’d asked any farmer or grower to sit down and write a government action wish list, it would likely look very similar. There is utter exasperation, anger too, with rushed and poorly-consulted on blanket regulations that hamper, rather than help, our environmental and production challenges.
The replacement resource management legislation is shaping up as a dog that will add costs, cumbersome compliance and drawn-out arguments rather than reduce them.
The Feds, B+LNZ and the Meat Industry Assocviation (MIA) highlighted frustration around migrant worker restrictions, the non-science-based methane targets and the pitfalls of the ‘Fair Pay’ Agreements and blanket pine planting.
One we didn’t mention but I’m glad that Beef + Lamb did – the NPSIB. “We strongly urge the Government to pause the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity and work with industry on a narrower definition of Significant Natural Area (SNA) that protects our precious biodiversity,” B+LNZ said.
“The Government also urgently needs to carry out an assessment of the cumulative impact of all these policies.
“We’d like to see a pause on any new regulations like biodiversity and RMA reform until this review has been done.” Exactly: the date is now set for the general election – October 14. The ball’s in your court!
Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says the consenting experience facing some high-country Canterbury sheep and beef farms is "bloody tragic" and vindicates the Government's move to abolish the Resource Management Act (RMA).
OPINION: At the recent NZ Dairy Industry Awards, opposition leader Chris Hipkins made a surprise appearance.
OPINION: For many farmers, the biggest regulatory challenge they face is the myriad things that the Resource Management Act throws up.
There's been a positive response to the Government's latest move to make freshwater farm plans more practical and affordable.
Avian flu getting into New Zealand's poultry industry is the biosecurity threat that is most worrying for Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard.
The CEO of Apples and Pears NZ, Karen Morrish, says the strategic focus of her organisation is to improve grower returns.
A significant breakthrough in understanding facial eczema (FE) in livestock brings New Zealand closer to reducing the disease’s devastating impact on farmers, animals, and rural communities.
Farmer co-operative LIC has closed its satellite-backed pasture measurement platform – Space.
OPINION: The case of four Canterbury high country stations facing costly and complex consent hearing processes highlights the dilemma facing the farming sector as the country transitions into a replacement for the Resource Management Act (RMA).
The 2024-25 season apple harvest has “well and truly exceeded expectations”, says Apples and Pears NZ chief executive Karen Morrish.
Through collaborative efforts with exhibitors, visitors, and industry partners, Fieldays says it is reaffirming its commitment to environmental responsibility with new initiatives for 2025.
OPINION: The Free Speech Union is taking this one too far.
OPINION: New national data from The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA), a leading workplace drug tester, shows methamphetamine (meth) use is…
