Pig farmers respond to new welfare standards
Pig farmers are cautiously welcoming new animal welfare standards announced by the Government last week.
RuralCo chair Jessie Chan has been appointed as an independent director to the NZPork board.
Chan, who lives in Rakaia in mid-Canterbury, also serves on the board of Bioprotection Aotearoa and is a Trustee of Meat the Need. Previously, she held positions on the boards of Ngāi Tahu Farming, Alpine Energy, Connetics, Business Mid Canterbury and Federated Farmers Mid Canterbury. She was also an associate director with DairyNZ.
This year, Chan was named a member of the NZ Order of Merit for services to dairy and agriculture. In 2017, she was named Dairy Woman of the Year and received the Women in Governance Award for Inspiring Governance Leader in 2021.
She says she is excited to be joining the NZPork board.
“This is a challenging time for pig farmers and the industry. The sector has significant concerns about the impractical regulations in the draft Code of Welfare and a growing wave of imported pork produced using practices that are illegal in this country,” she says.
“NZPork is certainly up for the challenge, advocating hard on behalf of our farmers and pressing for food security to be maintained for all New Zealanders.”
Chan says the New Zealand pork sector is small but proud with a strong environmental record.
“It is important to ensure that the sector can thrive and that pig farmers can continue to provide nutritious high quality New Zealand born and raised pork, farmed to high welfare standards.”
Former National MP and Deputy Speaker Eric Roy has been re-appointed as an independent director and chairman of NZPork.
With the current situation in the European farm machinery market being described as difficult at best, it’s perhaps no surprise that the upcoming AgriSIMA 2026 agricultural machinery exhibition, scheduled for February 2026 at Paris-Nord Villepinte, has been cancelled.
The Meat Industry Association of New Zealand (MIA) has launched the first in-market activation of the refreshed Taste Pure Nature country-of-origin brand with an exclusive pop-up restaurant experience in Shanghai.
Jayna Wadsworth, daughter of the late New Zealand wicketkeeper Ken Wadsworth, has launched an auction of cricket memorabilia to raise funds for I Am Hope's youth mental health work.
As we move into the 2025/26 growing season, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) reports that the third quarter results for the year to date is showing that the stagnated tractor market of the last 18 months is showing signs of recovery.
DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown is urging dairy farmers to participate in the 2026 Levy vote, to be held early next year.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling for nominations for director roles in the Eastern North Island and Southern South Island electoral districts.

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