Crazy
OPINION: Your canine crusader was truly impressed by the almost unanimous support given by politicians of all stripes in Parliament to the recent passing of legislation for the NZ/EU free trade deal.
Labour's Primary Industries spokesman Damien O’Connor claims there’s been a lot of misunderstanding about what is or is not in the Health and Safety Reform Bill and says that’s no one’s fault.
O’Connor is not a member of the transport and industrial select committee which is dealing with the bill, but he’s well aware of the issues and the feeling in rural communities. He’s been approached by farmers upset at some of the provisions in the bill as it stands.
“Farmers are certainly concerned without knowing the actual details, so there has been a lot of hype around this,” O’Connor told Rural News.
“The question of not being able to put another person on a quad has been the centre of debate and there will no doubt be many other things regarding processes – such as dealing with visitors to farms – that are of concern.”
O’Connor says when issues like this are debated, often extreme positions are taken and he hopes what the select committee arrives at, and the government delivers, is workable for farmers and also reduces the accident rate on farms.
He says he’d like to see lead agencies such as Federated Farmers working harder to get the truth out about the legislation, rather than getting involved in political spin to reverse some of the changes.
O’Connor says while the forestry industry is entirely focused on health and safety, he believes the farming industry is still in denial in some areas and is trying to come to terms with regulations that might be difficult to implement
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
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