Feds support live animal exports
Federated Farmers have reiterated their support for the coalition Government to abolish the present ban on the live export of animals.
The ‘wild west’ of the primary sector is what the Minister of Agriculture Damien O'Connor calls the bee industry.
O’Connor at the annual conference of Agcarm launched a full-scale attack on the industry, saying some beekeepers’ behaviour is putting the exports of honey at risk.
Many need a good shake-up, he said, pointing to alarming incidences of colony collapse. The health of the bee industry must improve, he said.
“The bee industry is the wild west of the primary sector. They have grown very quickly and not always in a sensible and rational way. I have told them that directly and we are happy to work with the sector to bring it into some order and to get more collaboration and a united sense of direction.”
O’Connor has also accused the industry of what he calls bee abuse.
“If you have overstocking and bees that are hungry and not being fed properly or not fed the right stuff, then that’s not good. Traditionally we have had a sound approach to all our livestock management and bees are no different; they need to be looked after and not abused for a commercial opportunity,” he says.
O’Connor says he personally has a passion for bees, describing them as amazing insects. But commercial opportunities have caused behaviour not always good for hive management and disease control.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.
A tiny organism from the arid mountains of mainland Greece is facilitating a new way of growing healthier animals on farms across New Zealand.
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