Bikinis in cowshed
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.
Orchardists and nursery owners are starting to raise questions about the future of the apple and stonefruit industry.
The questions follow a messy battle with MPI over the fate of 48,000 apple and stonefruit trees.
The High Court deemed MPI’s initial directive to contain and/or destroy the plants under Section 116 of the Biosecurity Act unlawful. Today at 5pm new directives will be proposed from MPI, despite affected apple and stonefruit industry members claiming MPI has had little communication with them.
Whilst all member’s actions are focussing on the directives for the 48,000 plants in question, the orchardists and nursery owners are starting to raise questions about the future of the apple and stonefruit industry.
“MPI has not moved forward with any pace to re-accredit the CPCNW facility in the US, which leaves us at a loss as to how we will access innovative plant varieties to future-proof our industry and maintain a globally competitive industry position,” says Kerry Sixtus of Pattullo’s Nurseries.
“MPI talked about accessing material through other channels such as Canada or France, but MPI has yet to publish their audit reports or indicate whether they will issue import permits for plant materials from these facilities.
“Not all facilities have the same stock. It is not like shopping for groceries, where you have a choice of retailers. We are dealing with unique and limited plant varieties. For that we need to go to specialist stores and build long-term relationships to ensure we have access to the right products,” says Sixtus.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
From 1 October, new livestock movement restrictions will be introduced in parts of Central Otago dealing with infected possums spreading bovine TB to livestock.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
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