Crazy
OPINION: Your canine crusader was truly impressed by the almost unanimous support given by politicians of all stripes in Parliament to the recent passing of legislation for the NZ/EU free trade deal.
Look for market trends, rather than market signals.
That was the key message from Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor speaking at the recent Agricultural Climate Change conference in the capital.
O'Connor says the reality is that market trends give a longer term view and give producers and marketers more advanced warning of what consumers are looking for, and NZ has to be on the ball, ready to change.
In his opening remarks to the conference, O'Connor made reference to the changes and disruption which are now a part of daily life in the primary sector. He noted the impacts of climate change, proof of which he says is evident in particular by the disastrous trail of damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
"With few exceptions, most people now recognise that climate change is a reality and that we as humans have contributed to it."
O'Connor claims concerns around climate change are driving consumer preferences and this also includes some of the big multi-nationals such as Nestle, which buy our products. He says they have committed to eliminate emissions from their supply chain and says he's not too sure how they will apply that to their individual suppliers such as NZ.
"But clearly those sort of signals show there are some... risks emerging and we may face some barriers," O'Connor added.
"I can tell you that having negotiated the UK and EU FTAs, for the most part, people don't necessarily want our products. We can only feed about 40 million people, so our contribution to global food security is not huge in quantum, but in technology, yes, we can play a bigger part."
O'Connor says NZ has to be at the forefront of food safety, quality, premiumisation and marketing.
He says, at the moment, NZ is not facing any trade barriers in relation to its emissions status, but we ignore the risks at our peril and to future generations.
Making things simpler, not harder, for deer farmers in farm planning and coping with regulations is Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) industry capability manager John Ladley’s current focus.
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) is launching an online business directory called The Country Women’s Collective to promote and support entrepreneurial rural women.
New Zealand actor Sam Neill has joined the Campaign for Wool NZ as an ambassador, lending his name and profile to educate and advocate for New Zealand strong wool.
Living labs that bring together expertise at locations around New Zealand are among potential solutions identified by researchers to help the country move towards a more climate resilient future.
The New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) has started issuing annual reports, a new initiative to share information on consumer-level recalls with the public.
The chair of the Dairy Environment Leaders, the president of the North Otago Federated Farmers, and a herd health veterinarian are among those nominated for the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award this year.
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