MPI’s Diana Reaich: Building global trade relationships
Relationships are key to opening new trading opportunities and dealing with some of the rules that countries impose that impede the free flow of trade.
The Government announced this morning that it will be supporting a new project with New Zealand wool carpets company Bremworth.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) will contribute $1.9 million towards Bremworth's $4.9 million sustainability project through its Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futures) fund.
Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor says the programme will involve research and development of natural and green chemistry-based alternatives to the few remaining synthetic components of woollen carpets.
O'Connor says that a rise in synthetic carpets has severely affected the wool industry.
"I'm told that an average Kiwi household laid with synthetic carpet is expected to have the equivalent weight of 22,000 plastic shopping bags on its floor. That's a compelling reason to use sustainable wool wherever we can to make healthy homes for Kiwis and the world.
"More than ever consumers are considering the entire life-cycle of products. We believe this programme will spur demand for New Zealand strong wool and enhance our manufacturing competitiveness through strong environmental credentials that challenge industry norms."
He says that revitalising the strong wool sector is a key component of delivering the Government's Fit for a Better World roadmap, released in 2020.
"Ultimately we hope it will benefit New Zealand's strong wool sector, with better returns for our farmers and manufacturers, and supporting their communities.
"If we get this right, then that's a compelling yarn we can sell to our markets abroad," O'Connor says.
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) says it is backing aspiring dairy farmers through a new initiative designed to make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking easier.
OPINION: While farmers are busy and diligently doing their best to deal with unwanted gasses, the opponents of farming - namely the Greens and their mates - are busy polluting the atmosphere with tirades of hot air about what farmers supposedly aren't doing.
OPINION: For close to eight years now, I have found myself talking about methane quite a lot.
The Royal A&P Show of New Zealand, hosted by the Canterbury A&P Association, is back next month, bigger and better after the uncertainty of last year.
Claims that farmers are polluters of waterways and aquifers and 'don't care' still ring out from environmental groups and individuals. The phrase 'dirty dairying' continues to surface from time to time. But as reporter Peter Burke points out, quite the opposite is the case. He says, quietly and behind the scenes, farmers are embracing new ideas and technologies to make their farms sustainable, resilient, environmentally friendly and profitable.
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One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…