Gong for Waikato farming leader
Waikato farming leader Sam Lewis says he’s surprised and delighted at being made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and the community in the latest King’s Birthday Honours list.
New Zealand's agriculture sector and associated rural communities will be hit hard if Affco management and the unions don't sort out their differences soon, Labour's Primary Production spokesperson Damien O'Conner says.
Referring to the 1700 meat workers who are off the job due to lock-outs and strike action at eight Affco meat processing sites around the North Island, O'Connor says the two sides needed to get back around the table as soon as possible.
"We all acknowledge that the country needs an efficient industry. However, having workers locked out is not in the best interests of the farming community, especially at a time when the sector is having a productive season.
"Whatever the ins and outs of the dispute, locking out workers rather than engaging in good faith mediation, is not the way to build solid relationships with either the community or the workers.
"Many of the sites involved are in provincial towns which rely on the workers and their families to survive. If people aren't being paid, no one is spending and the whole community suffers.
"The issue needs to be settled for the sake of both local and national economies," Damien O'Connor says.
Two butcheries have claimed victory at the 100% New Zealand Bacon & Ham Awards for 2025.
A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.
The Climate Change Commission’s 2025 emissions reduction monitoring report reveals steady progress on the reduction of New Zealand’s climate pollution.
Another milestone has been reached in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis with the compensation assistance service being wound up after helping more than 1300 farmers.
The Government’s directive for state farmer Landcorp Farming (trading as Pamu) to lifts its performance is yielding results.
The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.
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