Full cabinet
OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the cogs of Cabinet.
Farmer confidence has slumped to its lowest since 2009, according to a new Federated Farmers survey.
Federated Farmers’ July Farm Confidence Survey of 1,725 farmers saw 28.6% of respondents rate current economic conditions as bad, a 53-point drop on the January survey.
58.7% of the farmers who responded expect general economic conditions to worsen over the next 12 months, a 17-point reduction on the survey six months ago.
"Clearly, concern about the global economy is weighing on sentiment,” says Feds President and commerce spokesperson Andrew Hoggard.
Hoggard says the negative expectations are likely due to disruption on trade caused by the pandemic, as well as fears of a lasting global recession, heightened protectionism and trade wars.
“This fall in expectations is echoing the fall in business and consumer confidence, and the fall in the domestic economy from Covid-19," says Hoggard.
All the farming sector groups recorded worsening perceptions about current economic conditions, however meat and wool farmers experienced a 70-point slump compared to January.
The survey report by Research First records farmers’ three greatest concerns as: the economic situation (chosen by 15.6% of respondents), regulation and compliance costs (15.3%), and farmgate and commodity prices (11.1%).
"The government can’t do that much about the first and third of these, with global conditions being the predominant factor. But it can do something about ensuring regulation and compliance costs are sensible and affordable," says Hoggard.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.
Balclutha farmer Renae Martin remembers the moment she fell in love with cows.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.