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.
Bureaucratic obfuscation is being used to stall the provision information about the costs and achievements of the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) 'Fit for a Better World' strategy.
On June 16, Rural News sent MPI an Official Information Act (OIA) request seeking more information relating to Fit for a Better World. The request asked only five questions relating to meetings, minutes, costs and outcomes of the programme.
However, on July 14 - on the last day of the 20 working day timeframe when an OIA must be answered - MPI replied that it would not be able to answer within the mandated timeframe.
In a classic stalling move, which has become a common tactic used by government departments around OIA requests, MPI has extended the time it will provide any answers till, "no later than September 8, 2021", which adds another 40 working days, makking it more than three times the mandated OIA response timeframe.
MPI claims: "consultations necessary to make a decision on your request are such that a proper response cannot be reasonably made within the normal 20 working day time limit".
It goes on to say, "the request... necessitates a search through a large quantity of information and meeting the original time limit would unreasonably interfere with operations of the department or the venture or the Minister of the Crown or the organisation".
However, the Fit for a Better World programme, which has been pushed by Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor, was only released in July 2020. It is described by MPI as a roadmap "to bring together opportunities the Government considers will accelerate the productivity, sustainability, and inclusiveness of the primary sector, to deliver more value for all New Zealanders".
At this year's Fieldays, MPI released an update on the programme - an expensive-looking, 30 page glossary document - which claimed to set out "three ambitious targets to achieve a more productive, sustainable, and inclusive economy within the next decade".
According to the Fit for a Better World update, the 'roadmap' will help the primary sector add $44 billion in export earnings over the next decade, reduce farming's biogenic methane emissions to 24-47% below 2017 levels by 2050 and 10% below by 2030 and employ 10% more New Zealanders by 2030.
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
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