Celebrating success
The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith says it's important for his department to celebrate the success of a whole range of groups and people around the country.
FEDERATED FARMERS says it hopes to see “some rigour” applied to the Minister for Primary Industries’ independent review of kiwifruit pollen import rules and processes.
The Federation’s vice president, William Rolleston, says he’d also like to see the review extend to all pollen imports “because Federated Farmers doesn’t want any door left ajar.
“Only 13 months ago, the old MAF was so confident in the import health standard for pollen, that it said there was no peer-reviewed scientific evidence pollen was a pathway for bacteria. Even to a layman, it doesn’t seem plausible pollen could transmit viruses and fungi but not bacteria,” notes Rolleston.
He says he’s concerned a 2007 paper, ‘Plant pathogens transmitted by pollen’, may have unduly influenced MAF policy.
“This paper concluded that while certain viruses and fungi could be transmitted by pollen, ‘there are no…bacteria…that are pollen transmitted’.”
Rolleston, a medical scientist as well as farm business owner, says an absence of evidence should be treated differently by decision makers to evidence of absence.
“Categorical negatives are difficult to prove in science and should be treated with some suspicion.
“Having said that, this aspect of the import health standard also slipped past industry scrutiny.
“These are also big lessons to be learnt as MAF Biosecurity ponders the risk of PRRS in imported raw pork, not to mention bee diseases not present in New Zealand but carried in honey overseas, such as European Foulbrood and the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus.”
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.