Greenpeace should lose charitable status - Feds
Federated Farmers is arguing for controversial environmentalist group Greenpeace to be stripped of its charitable status.
Farmers are welcoming the appointment of Tararua farmer Mel Poulton to the position of Special Agricultural Trade Envoy for New Zealand.
Federated Farmers president Katie Milne says Poulton will be “a great representative of New Zealand farming”.
“She has a very good appreciation of the importance of trade to New Zealand and to the primary sector.
"Mel can also handle a dog around a hillside better than any man I’ve ever watched, which should be an indication of the patience and skill she will bring to wrangling with international free trade agreements and getting good deals for New Zealand."
Milne says Feds wishes her well and looks forward to working closely with her in this role.
Poulton is a pastoral farmer based in the Tararua District, producing and exporting food and fibre to markets around the world. She is highly active in environmental stewardship and is a member of the Global Farmers Network.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says Poulton is well placed to tell New Zealand’s agriculture and environmental stewardship story to the world.
“In the immediate term, her priorities will be engaging with farmer groups and other agriculture sector stakeholders to build support for our free trade agreement negotiations with Europe and, in due course, with the United Kingdom.
“More broadly, Mel will be tasked with advocating for New Zealand’s agriculture trade interests from the perspective of a practicing farmer and identifying opportunities for New Zealand to commercialise its agricultural expertise offshore”, he says.
She will formally take up her role on 1 January 2020. Poulton replaces Mike Petersen, who has held the role since 2013. The Government has expressed its appreciation to Petersen for his commitment to the role over the past six years.
Two butcheries have claimed victory at the 100% New Zealand Bacon & Ham Awards for 2025.
A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.
The Climate Change Commission’s 2025 emissions reduction monitoring report reveals steady progress on the reduction of New Zealand’s climate pollution.
Another milestone has been reached in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis with the compensation assistance service being wound up after helping more than 1300 farmers.
The Government’s directive for state farmer Landcorp Farming (trading as Pamu) to lifts its performance is yielding results.
The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.
OPINION: Spare a thought for the arable farmer, squeezed on one side by soft global prices and on the other…
OPINION: Labour leader Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins is carrying on the world-class gaslighting of the nation that he and his cohorts…