M.I.A.
OPINION: The previous government spent too much during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite warnings from officials, according to a briefing released by the Treasury.
New protocols have been set for meat processing plants as they now operate in Level 3 Alert.
There is very little change according to Meat Industry Association chief executive Simra Karapeeva, who says the main change allows for some flexibility over physical distancing on processing chains.
It has changed from two metres to one metre, but this applies only in exceptional circumstances with protective screens in place between staff.
But Rural News has been told that many companies will retain the protocols for Level 4 because they have been able to tweak these and are getting a reasonable level of throughput.
Karapeeva says the new protocols are effectively a minimum ‘guidance benchmark’, which processing companies must meet.
“But it is up to individual companies to decide how they implement this,” she says.
“What you will probably find that is companies that have been in Level 4 have made some small changes to their plants within that framework to reflect their own operating systems and the layout of their plants to try and increase capacity.
“As long as people stick to the minimum it’s up to them to provide anything over and above that and give confidence to their workers,” she says.
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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