New associate director for DairyNZ
After 20 years of milking cows, Northland farmer Greg Collins is ready to step into the governance side of dairy.
Farmers widely support the decision to cull 22 more herds infected with Mycoplasma bovis.
DairyNZ says it supports MPI’s decision to cull all cattle on properties infected with M. bovis. Although this is a hard step for farmers, it is an important move towards eradicating the disease from NZ.
Carol Barnao, of DairyNZ, says this is never an easy decision to make. Removing these animals from the 28 infected properties is considered and sensible, but nobody should underestimate the effect on farmers losing herds they’ve managed for years.
Kimberly Crewther, of the Dairy Companies Association NZ (DCANZ), welcomes MPI’s confidence that M. bovis is not well established in NZ. The national surveillance has required huge effort and DCANZ is pleased to see it contributing the information necessary for making response decisions.
Beef + Lamb NZ says MPI’s cull decision gives clarity to farmers living with uncertainty.
BLNZ spokesman Dave Harrison acknowledges the very trying few months endured by the affected farmers -- restricted from trading, bearing extra costs, and suffering worry and anxiety about the future.
Federated Farmers also supports the decision to cull: president Katie Milne says this will be a huge relief for all drystock and dairy farmers.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
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