Feds support live animal exports
Federated Farmers have reiterated their support for the coalition Government to abolish the present ban on the live export of animals.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announced a series of initiatives to fill critical jobs in the food and fibre sector.
The Government-backed initiatives include $240,000 funding for an on-the-job mentoring programme, funding for two horticulture career development managers in Pukekohe and Canterbury, the establishment of a Food and Fibre Youth Network and Innovation Activator workshops with Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ).
“These initiatives follow work we’ve already done over the past eight months through the Opportunity Grows Here campaign and training initiatives that’s resulted in 3,694 more people working in the food and fibre sector,” O’Connor says.
He says the mentoring programme is a good example of how Government is partnering with the industry.
The programme will be delivered by agricultural work specialists, HanzonJobs and targets job seekers affected by Covid-19, Ministry of Social Development clients, and 18-24-year-olds who aren’t in education, employment or training.
“The Food and Fibre Youth Network and Council will provide a formal pan-sector youth voice to raise matters such as workforce issues and provide input into critical decisions to guide the future of the sector.”
O’Connor says there’s ‘no shortage’ of talented people in rural communities.
“The Activator sessions provide the opportunity for rural women to have intensive, mentor-led sessions with experts to help bring their entrepreneurial ideas to life.
“By harnessing these ideas and helping to get them off the ground, we will be building capability within the sector, and future employment opportunities.”
O’Connor says the investments will move the country along the Fit for a Better World Roadmap, which aims to accelerate the primary sector’s economic potential.
Labour's agriculture spokesperson Jo Luxton says while New Zealand needs more housing, sacrificing our best farmland to get there is not the answer.
Profitability issues facing arable farmers are the same across the world, says New Zealand's special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr.
Over 85% of Fonterra farmer suppliers will be eligible for customer funding up to $1,500 for solutions designed to drive on-farm efficiency gains and reduce emissions intensity.
Tighter beef and lamb production globally have worked to the advantage of NZ, according to the Meat Industry Association (MIA).
Groundswell is ramping up its 'Quit Paris' campaign with signs going up all over the country.
Some farmers in the Nelson region are facing up to five years of hard work to repair their damaged properties caused by the recent devastating floods.
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