Meat Industry Association CEO to Step Down
The Meat Industry Association of New Zealand (MIA) today announced that Chief Executive Officer Sirma Karapeeva has resigned from the role.
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed the announcement of a FarmIQ technology pilot in Sri Lanka.
The pilot was part of a joint announcement by Prime Minister John Key and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
“The FarmIQ management system has been developed through the Primary Growth Partnership (PGP), and is cutting edge technology that can be applied to a range of farming activities,” says Guy.
“It works by capturing and analysing data throughout the value chain so farmers can better link on-farm practices to farm outputs and revenue.
“The Sri Lankan FarmIQ pilot will specifically measure the impact of dairy farm inputs and practices against milk output, quality and profitability, and will help support overall dairy sector development in Sri Lanka.”
The joint initiative between New Zealand and Sri Lanka is another activity under the Dairy Cooperation Arrangement signed between the two countries and has been extended to 2018/19.
“I visited Sri Lanka in 2014, and got a good understanding of some of the challenges their small-scale dairy farmers face,” says Guy.
“While we export milk powders to Sri Lanka, Fonterra also has in-country facilities that process local Sri Lankan milk, benefitting farmers from both countries.
“New Zealand has a lot of valuable expertise to share with the Sri Lankan dairy industry, and officials from both countries believe FarmIQ will make a real difference to the performance of local farmers.
“The pilot could also lead to further opportunities for the FarmIQ system – such as those occurring with other PGP programmes like Steepland Harvesting which is exporting forest harvesting machines to British Colombia.
“The two-way trade relationship between our countries is now progressing very well, especially with the commitment the Sri Lankan Government had made with respect to dairy tariffs,” says Guy.
While the District Field Days brought with it a welcome dose of sunshine, it also attracted a significant cohort of sitting members from the Beehive – as one might expect in an election year.
Irish Minister of State of Agriculture, Noel Grealish was in New Zealand recently for an official visit.
While not all sibling rivalries come to blows, one headline event at the recent New Zealand Rural Games held in Palmerston North certainly did, when reigning World Champion Jack Jordan was denied the opportunity of defending his world title in Europe later this year, after being beaten by his big brother’s superior axle blows, at the Stihl Timbersports Nationals.
AgriZeroNZ has invested $5.1 million in Australian company Rumin8 to accelerate development of its methane-reducing products for cattle and bring them to New Zealand.
Farmers want more direct, accurate information about both fuel and fertiliser supply.
A bull on a freight plane sounds like the start of a joke, but for Ian Bryant, it is a fond memory of days gone by.

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