Farmers back government’s RMA reforms
Farmers appear to be backing the Government's recent Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms announcement.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says a wide-ranging review of dairy industry legislation isn’t an attempt by the Government to force changes to Fonterra’s constitution.
He says the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) review doesn’t say anything about the constitution. Fonterra’s 10,000 farmer shareholders will ultimately make a judgment on the constitution, O’Connor told Rural News.
The minister was grilled last week by Federated Farmers dairy leaders at their annual conference in Wellington; they questioned him about the DIRA review and recent attacks on Fonterra leaders by cabinet minister and NZ First MP Shane Jones.
O’Connor says how Fonterra is managed is up to its shareholders, but he had a bold message for shareholders: “if you don’t discuss it, we will”.
When Fonterra was set up in 2001, a draft constitution was part of the approval process. O’Connor notes changes have been made to the constitution over time.
“Farmers have to work whether those changes to the constitution have worked positively or negatively,” he says.
O’Connor forsees the DIRA review “tweaking legislation to ensure Fonterra is fit for purpose”.
However, Opposition agriculture spokesman Nathan Guy says the terms of reference for the DIRA review “are very wide and a moving feast”.
Guy says O’Connor isn’t ruling out changes to Fonterra’s constitution.
“This isn’t written anywhere in the review document,” Guy says.
“After Shane Jones’ outburst this will be seen by farmers as the Government wanting to meddle further in the co-op’s business. There is already a lot of suspicion about this wide-ranging review and Fonterra farmers are becoming weary of this Government’s agenda.”
Federated Farmers leaders are taking a wait-and-see approach on how the DIRA review pans out.
Farmers appear to be backing the Government's recent Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms announcement.
For the first time, all the big names in agricultural drone technology are being brought together under one marquee at the National Fieldays.
Fonterra has announced an improved third quarter performance – with a profit after tax of $1.15 billion, up $119 million on the same period last year.
The Fieldays Innovation Awards competition has attracted a diverse and impressive array of innovations from across the primary industries, highlighting the growing importance of technology shaping the future of farming.
Coming to the fore following the carnage of Cyclone Gabrielle, Starlink became well known for providing internet access even in NZ's most inaccessible places.
From this winter farmers will have a greater choice of feed types and blend options than ever before, thanks to Farmlands' purchase of animal nutrition company SealesWinslow.
OPINION: Imagine if the Hound had called the Minister of Finance the 'c-word' and accused her of "girl math".
OPINION: It's good news that Finance Minister Nicola Willis has slashed $1.1 billion from new spending, citing "a seismic global…