EPA's plan 'not good enough'
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is bolstering its frontline applications teams in a bid to reduce the timeframe for new product applications, but agri chemical producers say that it isn't good enough.
Dr Liz Shackleton has been appointed chief executive of Animal and Plant Health New Zealand.
Her term in the role will kick off on 30 October 2022.
Prior to the chief executive role, Shackleton has led the DairyNZ Biosecurity team, including the Mycoplasma bovis Programme team since 2018, and held leadership positions in the pharmaceutical sector after starting her career as a rural veterinarian.
She is a chartered member of the NZ Institute of Directors and a board member of the NZ Veterinary Council.
“I’ve been privileged to spend my career supporting the primary sector – from gumboots to boardroom – and am passionate about the important role it plays for New Zealand,” Shackleton says.
She says she is excited about the opportunity to lead the organisation, given the critical role that healthy crops and animals play in safeguarding our sustainability.
“Growing our people, credible science and supportive regulations all play a key role in bringing innovative solutions to the market for members,” says Shackleton.
“I look forward to continuing to build on the good work Mark Ross and team have done so far.”
The primary sector generates $55 billion in export earnings, and the membership association works closely with government agencies, industry groups, and other stakeholders, to help bring the necessary innovations to manage pests and diseases so that NZ food can be grown sustainably, efficiently and effectively.
Animal and Plant Health NZ co-president Vanessa MacDonald says Shackleton will be instrumental in implementing the recently rebranded organisation’s strategy.
MacDonald says that strategy prioritises the safeguarding of the sustainability of agriculture by ensuring the health of crops and animals.
“Liz’s leadership will empower New Zealand’s farmers and growers with innovative solutions and best practices, reinforcing their position as frontrunners in producing safe, healthy, and sustainable food for a discerning global market,” MacDonald says.
Choosing pasture seed at bargain prices may seem an attractive way for farmers to reduce autumn or spring re-sowing costs, but it comes with significant risks, says the NZ Plant Breeders and Research Association (PBRA).
A brand-spanking new administration building will greet visitors to this year's South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) at Kirwee.
2025 marks 120 years of FMG Advice and Insurance in New Zealand's rural communities.
The 2025 South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) chairman, Rangiora farmer Andrew Stewart, is predicting a successful event on the back of good news coming out of the farming sector and with it a greater level of optimism among farmers.
Now in its 20th year, the Fruit in Schools (FIS) programme is playing an increasingly vital role in supporting children facing hunger.
This International Women's Day, there are calls to address a reported gender disparity gap between men women New Zealand's horticulture industry leadership.
OPINION: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon sometimes can't escape his own corporate instinct for evasion, and in what should have been…
OPINION: Shane 'Matua' Jones, crusader against all things woke, including "woke banks", couldn't have scripted it better when his NZ…