NZ Exporters Urge Politicians to Finalise India Free Trade Deal
New Zealand exporters are putting the blowtorch on politicians to get the free trade deal with India over the line.
Meat Industry Association (MIA) chief executive Sirma Karapeeva sees no end in sight to the shipping and logistical woes that the meat and other primary sectors are facing.
She says these involve big, complicated global issues beyond NZ's control.
"It's going to become one of those norms that people are just going to learn how to deal with it and in the best way they can," Karapeeva explains. "I don't see it ending anytime soon."
Meanwhile, a study aimed at highlighting the health and nutritional benefits of meat from NZ pasture-reared animals is nearing an end.
In its annual report, the MIA says Pasture Raised Advantage (PRA) programme assesses the health, nutritional and wellbeing benefits of consuming NZ pasture-raised beef and lamb compared to grain finished beef and plant-based alternatives.
The programme has been running for two years and the final clinical trials are about to begin with the food being fed to people and tracking how they react and feel.
Karapeeva says the research is world class and looks at the digestibility of meat and how the body responds to the nutrients it gets. She says it also looks at comparing the wellness and wellbeing implications of meat verses plant-based diets.
"We get a lot of information in the press and social media about what is good and bad for you and what is healthy and what is not," Karapeeva told Rural News.
"A lot of that information is driven off a US or grain fed production system, which is very different to the way we do things here. Part of this project is to put this information in context and say this is how it works in NZ."
OPINION: Political parties in New Zealand have a long history of supporting free trade agreements together.
New Zealand's high country farmers could soon gain greater flexibility to diversify their land use as the new Crown Land Legislation Amendment Bill is introduced to Parliament.
New Zealand farming history needs to be celebrated, says the New Zealand Century Farm and Station Awards (NZCFSA) national coordinator, Anne Barnett.
Great weather, a large turnout and positive feedback.
Bark and ambrosia beetles could play an unexpected role in New Zealand's ecosystem, acting as tiny taxis for fungi.
New Zealand’s reliance on imported urea could soon be a thing of the past.

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