Biosecurity tops priorities for agribusiness leaders - report
Biosecurity remains the top priority for agribusiness leaders, according to KPMG’s 2025 Agribusiness Agenda released last week.
Beware the the ‘bok choy effect’.
That warning came from KPMG’s global head of agri, Ian Proudfoot, at the recent Zespri conference in Tauranga.
Proudfoot says the ‘bok choy effect’ is a way of explaining some changes taking place in markets in Asia.
What is changing more is our diet in the west and we as food producers need to recognise and understand this, Proudfoot says. A good example of the ‘bok choy effect’ is seen in Melbourne where a friend of his lives in a Vietnamese suburb.
“Twenty years ago when Zespri was founded he would have been able to go to his supermarket and buy [only] meat and three veg. Today he goes there and buys 30 or 40 different kinds of Chinese greens and a whole range of other ‘inspirational’ products. He says his diet is far better.”
Proudfoot says evolution is coming to the food sector and people are looking at a whole range of future alternatives in the future –possibly even laboratory-created food.
While NZ produces enough food to feed 40 million people, it should look to feed 800 million, he says. This would be possible if our food products became a smaller but high value addition to people’s diets.
Newly elected Federated Farmers meat and wool group chair Richard Dawkins says he will continue the great work done his predecessor Toby Williams.
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
According to DairyNZ's latest Econ Tracker update, there has been a rise in the forecast breakeven milk price for the 2025/26 season.
Despite the rain and a liberal coating of mud, engines roared, and the 50th Fieldays Tractor Pull Competition drew crowds of spectators across the four days of the annual event.
Nationwide rural wellbeing programme, Farmstrong recently celebrated its tenth birthday at Fieldays with an event attended by ambassador Sam Whitelock, Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), Farmstrong partners, and government Ministers.
Six industry organisations, including DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ) have signed an agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to prepare the country for a potential foot and mouth outbreak.
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