NZ meat industry loses $1.5b annually to non-tariff barriers
Wouldn't it be great if the meat industry could get its hands on the $1.5 billion dollars it's missing out on because of non-tariff trade barriers (NTBs)?
Former Agriculture Minister and Horowhenua dairy farmer Nathan Guy is standing for election to the Ravensdown board of directors.
"As farmers and growers grapple with environmental and climate change regulations they are crying out for leadership and user-friendly technologies to make adjustments inside the farm gate," he says.
"We have been using Ravensdown technologies like Hawke Eye and N Protect to better manage our whole operation but more needs to be donw in this space."
Since retiring from politics, Guy - the former Minister for Primary Industries for five years - says he's overseen massive on-farm development. This includes building a new twin rotary farm dairy, as well as a new effluent and water system.
He adds that he's also become active in governance, transferring the "critical thinking, connections and experiences gained from 15 years in Parliament and around the Cabinet table to the board room".
Guy currently serves on the boards of Barenbrug (formerly Agriseeds) and the Horowhenua Kapiti Rugby Football Union.
Thirty years ago, as a young sharemilker, former Waikato farmer Snow Chubb realised he was bucking a trend when he started planting trees to provide shade for his cows, but he knew the animals would appreciate what he was doing.
Virtual fencing and herding systems supplier, Halter is welcoming a decision by the Victorian Government to allow farmers in the state to use the technology.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
New Zealand’s national lamb crop for the 2025–26 season is estimated at 19.66 million head, a lift of one percent (or 188,000 more lambs) on last season, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) latest Lamb Crop report.
Farmers appear to be cautiously welcoming the Government’s plan to reform local government, according to Ag First chief executive, James Allen.
The Fonterra divestment capital return should provide “a tailwind to GDP growth” next year, according to a new ANZ NZ report, but it’s not “manna from heaven” for the economy.

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