Bikinis in cowshed
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.
An impasse between the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and apple and stonefruit growers is continuing.
MPI issued the revised directions under s122 of the Biosecurity Act one minute before the 5:00pm deadline set by the High Court yesterday. However, apple and stonefruit growers aren’t happy.
The revised directions refer to the tens of thousands of apple (Malus) and stonefruit (Prunus) plants previously seized by MPI under s116 of the Biosecurity Act, which was deemed unlawful following a High Court judicial review.
“It appears that MPI has taken what it calls ‘a more generalised approach’, rather than the required specific and targeted approach encouraged by the High Court,” says Kerry Sixtus, owner of Pattullo’s Nurseries Limited in Napier.
“Essentially, it appears that all of the plants that were contained under s116 have simply been transferred to the new order and are now contained under s122.
“We are very concerned that the new directions provide no guarantee as to when any of the plants will be released from containment. There has been no commitment from MPI to timelines, which makes our lives and the prospect of commercialising any of these plants extremely challenging,” says Sixtus.
Since the High Court ruling, the plants and plant materials have been subject to interim orders, requiring the parties to contain selected plant materials in an appropriate quarantine facility and allowing all other plant material to remain in situ and be subject to a spraying and/or netting programme agreed with MPI.
“The directions do not appear to differentiate between plant material that has been directly imported from the CPCNW, and material that has been propagated in New Zealand or take into account the age and growing stage of the various plants,” says Sixtus.
“MPI has given us little hope of bringing some of the innovative plant varieties through to commercial production in a realistic timeframe to enable us to compete with global markets.
“We are no closer to a suitable resolution than we were three weeks ago. We will continue to fight but the prospect of turning our back on our lifetime’s work, burning everything and walking away is still very real. This is not an acceptable outcome,” he says.
The group will take some time to carefully review and consider the new directions and testing plan.
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.
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.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
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.