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IF WE DON'T look after all natural pollinators, particularly the honey bee, we could see economic and social collapse, says John Hartnell, Federated Farmers Bees chairperson and a Christchurch-based exporter of bee products.
"We are truly tiptoeing around the edge of a global chasm," says Hartnell. "One-third of the food all humans eat is directly pollinated by honeybees. Nothing comes close to matching nature's super pollinator. It is why the honeybee is most indispensable animal to modern society.
"When you eat your main meal tonight, just examine what's on your plate. Anything of colour, from broccoli to carrots, or avocados to beetroot, they are only there because of honeybee pollination.
"What's more, another third of the food we eat from agriculture is indirectly supported by honeybees pollinating pasture and crops.
"While too much nitrogen can be a bad thing, too little, we forget, makes life impossible. Without bees no one would be rolling in clover. It is that simple and that stark.
"Then of course there is fruit; our sixth largest export worth over $1.7 billion each year. Whether it is kiwifruit, apple, blueberry, cherry or pear, all are directly pollinated by the honeybee.
"Without the honeybee, we'd be pretty much dependent on an austere diet of fish, starch, grains and seaweed."
Hartnell says in China much of its pear industry relies on pollination by human hand because the overuse of agricultural chemicals has made the land hostile to the honeybee.
"That is why bees are an industry group within Federated Farmers and share policy resources with our arable sector. This recognises just how vital bees are to farming and farmers know that.
"The three most important things to agriculture are 'the bees, the bees and the bees – you've got to look after the bees.' That says it all," Hartnell says.
Central Otago District Council (CODC) has voted against a plan to spread treated sewage sludge from Cromwell and Alexandra on farmland near Lauder, a decision Federated Farmers says reflects strong opposition from rural residents.
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Federated Farmers says new legislation replacing the Resource Management Act will cut red tape, unlock investment and help grow New Zealand's export-led economy, after the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill passed their third reading in Parliament yesterday.
Leading figures from the major political parties will be questioned on their primary sector policies at the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, on 30 September.
Will the good times last? That's one of the key issues to come out of the latest Federated Farmers confidence survey.
The Minister for Rural Communities, Mark Patterson, says there's a massive infrastructure deficit in rural areas.
New Zealand's red meat and fifth-quarter exports reached $867 million in August, up 23% on the same month last year, as stronger returns lifted earnings across all major markets.
State farmer Pāmu is bracing for a $30 million hit from soaring farm input costs this financial year.
Flat pricing in the face of significant increases in costs is the greatest problem facing the arable sector, says Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) chief executive Dr Scott Champion.
Entries opened on Monday, 5 October 2026 for the 2027 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA), which organisers describe as the nation's biggest celebration of excellence in the dairy sector.
Waikato milk processor Tatua has again declared a record milk payout to farmer shareholders, leaving other processors in the dust.
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