Bikinis in cowshed
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has informed staff it will cut 391 jobs following a consultation period.
193 of the roles set to be axed are currently vacant.
In March, it was announced that MPI intended to disestablish approximately 384 roles. That number has now risen to 391, approximately 10% of the Ministry’s workforce.
Fleur Fitzsimons, assistant secretary for the Public Service Association (PSA), the union for public servants, says that the staff reduction “can only weaken the vital work the Ministry does across the country in protecting and promoting New Zealand’s primary industry”.
“MPI is our first line of defence against threats to the industry which underpins our prosperity so it’s baffling that the Government has forced this vital agency to slash spending by 7.5% to fund tax cuts,” Fitzsimons says.
“While MPI maintains no frontline roles are impacted, the PSA is concerned that such a large reduction in the workforce will impact the ability of frontline biosecurity officers, fisheries officers, vets and others to do their job.”
“This is a complex Ministry with many moving parts,” Fitzsimons says. “These changes will only increase the workloads of remaining staff, and will see the loss of experienced, specialist staff who have been at the Ministry for many years.”
She says primary producers should question whether MPI can still be effective and be there to support them when they need it most.
“It’s just more reckless short-term thinking from the Government that runs the risks of long-term problems for the economy and for the thousands of New Zealanders whose livelihoods depend on the industry, on the farm, in processing and in supplying our producers,” Fitzsimons concludes.
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.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.