Editorial: Support, don't stifle farmers
OPINION: Ministry for Primary Industries' situation outlook for primary industries report (SOPI) makes impressive reading.
Two new dog teams start today at Christchurch airport – doubling the biosecurity detector dog capacity at the airport, says the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
Stephen James graduated from his training as a quarantine inspector and a dog handler at a ceremony in Auckland on Friday, along with 46 other new biosecurity frontline staff. Today is his first day on the job as a warranted inspector.
He will work with Vinnie, an experienced beagle, to sniff out exotic pests and diseases that pose biosecurity risk to New Zealand.
Stephen will be joined by handler Jemma Grant and detector dog Rogue.
Jemma, a quarantine inspector for more than four years, graduated as a dog handler at Friday's ceremony. It will be the first day on the job for 6-year-old Rogue.
The two teams will work at the local port as well as the airport.
"The new staff we have just deployed across the country will bring MPI's biosecurity frontline up to full strength and will help the ministry meet the demands of the busy summer peak season," says border clearance services manager Steve Gilbert.
He says detector dog teams are very useful for detecting biosecurity risks when used with other checks.
"No tool is sufficient to manage biosecurity by itself. Dogs are good at picking up seeds and plants that can be hard to detect by x-ray. They also screen people faster than x-ray, and their visual presence is a significant factor," he says.
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
Within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will need to manage its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth, conservatively valued at $150 billion in farming assets.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
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