Roadmap set to double hort exports by 2035
It's critical that the horticulture sector works together as part of a goal to double the sector’s exports by 2035.
Confusion reigns in the horticulture sector after Labour passed its Regional Fuel Tax (RFT) law this week.
Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman says the tax comes into force in Auckland on Sunday without an exemption system for off-road ‘behind the farm gate’ vehicles and machinery. Chapman says 441 fruit and vegetable growers in Auckland will be affected.
"Growers should not have to pay the RFT for vehicles and machinery that are supposed to be excluded from this tax, yet on Sunday they will have to. We are talking about considerable numbers of vehicles and machinery used to produce healthy food for New Zealanders, both in Auckland and beyond,” Chapman says.
He says growers will have to go through a complicated and costly process to get a rebate on tax paid as there is currently no exemption process.
Chapman says the process was rushed to meet Auckland Mayor Phil Goff’s announced 1 July deadline, and as such those in horticulture industry were not listened to. He says the tax will affect growers’ businesses and costs considerably, to the point of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. He adds these costs will be passed onto the consumer, resulting in more expensive healthy food.
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
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