increase font size
MPI’s John Roche says farmers there are under huge pressure and life is very challenging for them.
According to John Roche, MPI, the saviour for Chatham Island farmers this season has been the weather.
He says grass growth has been good and the stock are in excellent condition. But another problem looms in the background - feral cattle.
Roche says in many parts of the rugged islands roam wilds or feral cattle - animals that have likely escaped in the past, but which are now breaking down fences and eating feed that should be consumed by farmed animals.
To that end, MPI is working with farmers who have a problem with feral cattle to get rid of them; just recently a helicopter was used to track down and shoot these 'predators'.
Roche says the helicopter is the only way to deal with the problem given the rugged nature of the countryside. He says a programme will likely take another couple of months.
As time ticks by for a solution to getting lots of animals off to the mainland, there is the worry in the background of an animal welfare issue. Roche says this is not the case yet, but says he's working with his compliance team and the farmers themselves to avoid a problem.
Testing confirms H5 bird flu in a single northern giant petrel, found dead on a remote Cape Palliser beach in the Wairarapa, says Dr Mary van Andel, the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Chief Veterinary Officer.
The apple sector is working with the Government to unlock access to two key markets that could bring millions in revenue for apple growers.
A Palmerston North shearer has been sentenced to six months' community detention and 12 months' supervision after being found to have physically abused three lambs while shearing them.
OPINION: A simpler, clearer, more effective Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.
New Zealand apple and pear industry stakeholders are out in force for the annual conference in Queenstown.
OPINION: In politics, credibility is and should be big. It must surely rank higher than charisma, which is quite trite and superficial. Yet, voters nowadays are often wooed and influenced by how someone looks or talks at a superficial level. TV plays a huge role in this.
Farmers can spend less time on paperwork, thanks to a new data sharing agreement between DairyNZ’s DairyBase and LIC’s MINDA software.
Kaikōura families affected by July's severe storm have found a practical solution to a problem that's kept some children away from regular schooling for weeks: a washed-out section of Inland Kaikōura Road, which has stopped the local school bus from running its usual route.
Rural New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s recent package of rural healthcare initiatives.
Interest in agritech and production animal systems has prompted Massey University's School of Agriculture and the Environment to new majors to its popular animal science degree.
Ballance Agrinutrients chief executive Kelvin Wickham says despite a tough year, he is pleased the business has returned to profit.
OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…
