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.
The Ministry for Primary Industries is taking new measures to reduce the risk of brown marmorated stink bugs entering NZ via vehicles and machinery imported from Japan.
The pest was discovered in the last month.
All used vehicles (cars and trucks) must now be inspected and cleaned at an MPI-approved facility in Japan prior to export. And used machinery or vehicles from Japan will require certification proving cleaning by an appropriate provider.
“Nearly 95% of used vehicles from Japan already go through approved facilities designed to eliminate the risk of biosecurity threats like seeds and hitchhiking organisms such as Asian gypsy moth,” said MPI biosecurity and environment manager Paul Hallett.
This will now be compulsory for all imports, to reduce the risk of transporting dirty vehicles and machinery that could contaminate other cargo, he said.
MPI’s move results from a spike in the number of stink bugs arriving at the border in bulk carriers from Japan; four vessels have so far been turned back.
Brown marmorated and spotted yellow stink bugs, native to Japan, are a pest that feeds on apples, kiwifruit, maize, tomatoes, cherries and wheat, with the potential to inflect millions of dollars damage.
MPI says it has already increased inspections of arriving carriers and their cargoes, and is ‘fogging’ with insecticide to flush insects out of confined spaces.
Hallet says MPI will work with industry to develop longer term options for reducing the biosecurity risk.
“We are all keen to work together to consider solutions that avoid the need to turn vessels around at the border.”
This could include treatment before ships enter NZ waters or fumigating here if pests are detected.
“A proposed treatment will be trialled on one of the affected ships this week,” Hallet said. “The vessel will have to pass rigorous biosecurity checks before MPI will allow the release of its cargo.”
Four bulk carriers were turned away from NZ this month due to excessive contamination; they headed for Brisbane for unloading, treatment and reloading, then return to NZ.
Rural News understands the vessels are loaded with at least 6000 vehicles; one distributor said one month’s retail supply had been re-routed.
An independent report, prepared for Alliance farmer shareholders is backing the proposed $250 million joint venture investment by Irish company Dawn Meats Group.
Whangarei field service technician, Bryce Dickson has cemented his place in John Deere’s history, becoming the first ever person to win an award for the third time at the annual Australian and New Zealand Technician of the Year Awards, announced at a gala dinner in Brisbane last night.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
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