Rural Resilience Workshops to Help Farmers Prepare for Adverse Events
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says a series of rural resilienced set to be rolled out next week will help farmers and growers better prepared for adverse weather events.
Trade Minister Todd McClay and opposition MPs are traveling in Europe and Iran over the next week to take part in a number of trade-related events.
McClay says New Zealand needs to engage more broadly in trade-related activities in Europe and this mission would offer a valuable opportunity to promote New Zealand goods and services in these lucrative markets.
"Italy, France and the United Kingdom are collectively worth more than $9.2 billion of two-way trade and are home to 190 million consumers. That is significant,” says McClay.
“The mission will engage directly with New Zealand businesses and their counterparts in these three countries and we will look to open doors to further enhance our high quality reputation and trade presence.
“I am grateful to New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP, the Right Honourable Winston Peters for agreeing to participate in the business-focused legs of the Europe visit.”
The Trade Minister will then travel to Iran with a delegation of 17 New Zealand companies.
“Iran has traditionally been a very important market for our sheep meat and butter. Earlier this year the visiting Iranian Foreign Minister said Iran presented a $1 billion prospect for New Zealand. This mission will be an important first step towards delivering on this exciting opportunity,” says McClay.
Labour has designated their Trade spokesman David Clark to join the Iran delegation.
McClay will also visit Warsaw to lobby the Polish government for an EU-NZ FTA.
The Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) annual meeting held in Timaru today saw directors' fees raised and the appointment of KPMG as an auditor for the levy body.
A new Westpac NZ community banking van begins making visits around Northland this week.
New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) is sharing guidance to prevent people from contracting listeriosis, a rare yet life-threatening foodborne illness.
As cost-of-living pressures continue to bite Kiwi households, the Fruit in Schools (FIS) programme is helping fuel learning and improve the health and wellbeing of 127,000 children and staff.
OPINION: Public opinion, political pragmatism and commercial and market reality have caused the Government to abandon introducing legislation into Parliament to legalise the shipment by sea of live animals - mainly cows - to overseas destinations.
Safer Farms has welcomed its first three regional champions that will be taking the Farm Without Harm message directly into their rural communities.

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