Red Meat Sector Calls for Trade Focus Before Election
New Zealand's red meat sector says it welcomes the Government's focus on trade ahead of the general election in November.
Rangitikei hill country farmer Andrew Stewart has been elected the Western North Island farmer director.
Sitting Beef + Lamb NZ farmer director Scott Gower has been voted out by farmers.
The results of voting for the Western North Island electorate show Rangitikei hill country farmer Andrew Stewart getting 4233 weighted votes to Gower’s 3502 weighted votes – a winning margin of 731.
Stewart joins the B+LNZ board at its annual meeting in Rotorua next week.
B+LNZ board chair Kate Acland congratulated Stewart and thanked Gower for his work as the incumbent director.
“I know Andrew will bring new thinking and fresh ideas, along with a determination to be future-focused and I look forward to working with him on the board,” says Acland.
Turnout for this director election was just short of 13%, which is on par with other comparable organisations, says Acland.
“This was pleasing given it was the first year of moving to online- only voting. I really encourage farmers to get involved and have their say via the voting process whenever they have the opportunity” Acland says.
Gower will be formally farewelled after the annual meeting.
Acland thanked Gower for his six years of service.
“Scott has made a fantastic contribution during his time as director bringing a large-scale, grassroots hill country farming perspective to the board table. As chair of the people & culture committee he played an important role in the refresh of B+LNZ’s strategy and the appointment of our new CEO. I wish him all the very best for his next endeavours.”
New Zealand dairy farmers are set to be the first in the world to receive access to a new digital physical milk pricing tool that enables them to fix the price for their physical milk.
State farmer Pāmu is opening its farm gates this summer in an effort to give the rural sector the opportunity to see how large-scale, multi-system farming is delivering productivity and profitability across New Zealand.
A five-year study has found that the cost of reducing emissions without technology may be significant and unsustainable for Northland dairy farmers.
DairyNZ says Waikato farmers need certainty on Plan Change 1, but they say that certainty must be matched with practical, workable rules and a clear transition that doesn't get ahead of the new resource management system currently under review.
While the Government has moved quickly to make commercial hauliers' lot easier during the current fuel crisis, they appear to be stuck in the creep box when it comes to the agricultural industry.
Waikato farmers have been told that the Government’s new planning system legislation and the region’s Plan Change 1 (PC1) “won’t mesh together very well”.

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