NZ household food waste falls again
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.
New Zealand milk production has stayed stronger for longer than anticipated, matching the exceptional prior-year comparables will become more difficult beyond Christmas, says Rabobank's quarterly report.
Many New Zealand farmers are also entering the second half of the season with below-average soil moisture levels, making pasture growth susceptible to any dry spells.
Rabobank says the slow recovery in international dairy prices that started in August 2012 continues through Q4, but failed to regain strong legs.
Upward pressure on prices was created in part by the first contraction in milk supply in export regions since early 2010.
The fact that this contraction failed to generate a stronger rise in prices suggest that consumption was weaker than anticipated and key buyers have accumulated solid forward coverage.
Milk production growth in key export regions is expected to continue to fall below prior-year levels through the first half of 2013, the report says.
While current buyer inventories will provide temporary protection from supply shortages, the market will inevitably tighten further if there is even a modest improvement in demand for imports from key buying regions – which appears highly likely.
But the timing and vigour of the market peak has likely been pushed back and will be softened by a weaker economic outlook than envisaged three months ago.
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).
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.
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.