Thursday, 09 April 2020 15:38

COVID-19: Trade Me to sell livestock

Written by  Peter Burke
Miles Anderson. Miles Anderson.

Trade Me says livestock sales are now permitted on its online platform, while New Zealand is at COVID-19 alert level 4.

It says concerns have been raised about animal welfare during lockdown, due to the closure of saleyards around the country.

Trade Me’s head of marketplace Lisa Stewart says the company has worked with both Federated Farmers and the Ministry for Primary Industries to understand the issue. 

"With typical public livestock sales closed due to the lockdown, farmers are restricted in how they sell their livestock at this busy time of year,” she says. 

Stewart says Trade Me is now a registered essential seller with MPI, so it is able to provide this service to farmers. 

“We hope this will help them to move and buy the animals they need during the lockdown,” she says.

Federated Farmers meat & wool chair Miles Anderson says the Trade Me platform will be useful for farmers. 

“We’ve got pretty much a perfect storm of factors impacting animal feed – the COVID-19 complications, drought in many parts of the country and under-powered meat processing capability due to lockdown restrictions,” he says.

“Opening up Trade Me to livestock sales and livestock feed sales gives farmers another option to deal with some of the issues they’re facing.” 

More like this

A steep learning curve

A steep learning curve, a very busy year and thank heavens for tractor therapy. That's how Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard described his first year in Parliament to reporter Peter Burke at his dairy farm in the Manawatu during the holiday break.

Follow the leaders

OPINION: Farmers are urging Kiwi banks and their overseas parent companies to follow the lead of America's six biggest banks and urgently withdraw from the Net Zero Banking Alliance.

Banks urged to withdraw from alliance

Farmers are calling for Kiwi banks and their overseas parent companies need to follow the lead of America's six biggest banks and urgently withdraw from the Net Zero Banking Alliance.

Featured

‘Nanobubble’ trial trims irrigation water usage

North Canterbury dairy farmer and recently-elected deputy chair of DairyNZ, Cameron Henderson, is enjoying a huge reduction in irrigation water use after converting a pivot irrigator to drag perforated drip tubes across the ground instead of elevated sprinkler heads.

Editorial: Elusive India FTA

OPINION: Without doubt, a priority of the Government this year will be to gain traction on the elusive free trade deal with India.

Sport star to talk at expo

Rugby league legend Tawera Nikau is set to inspire, celebrate and entertain at the East Coast Farming Expo's very popular Property Broker's Evening Muster.

National

Sweet or sour deal?

Not all stakeholders involved in the proposed merger of honey industry groups - ApiNZ and Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association…

Machinery & Products

Loosening soil without fuss

Distributed in New Zealand by Carrfields, Grange Farm Machinery is based in the Holderness region of East Yorkshire – an…

JCB unveils new models

The first of the UK’s agricultural trade shows was recently held at the NEC Centre in Birmingham.

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Times have changed

OPINION: Back in the 1960s and '70s, and even into the '80s, successive National government Agriculture Ministers and Trade Ministers…

Hallelujah moment

OPINION: The new Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche has just had the hallelujah moment of the 21st century in…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter