India–New Zealand FTA talks continue in Delhi as officials pursue trade breakthrough
This past week has seen another round of negotiations between India and New Zealand to produce a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Former Deputy Prime Minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has joined the chorus of voices decrying the Government’s emissions pricing plan.
The pricing plan was released for consultation earlier this month by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Minister for Agriculture Damien O’Connor and Minister for Climate Change James Shaw.
The policy has resulted in heavy backlash from farmers, politicians and industry bodies alike.
At a speech in Gore yesterday, Peters claimed farming families in the region ere being taken for granted by the Government.
“When Covid hit this country, in early 2020, together with its variants in 2021, and we faced economic hardship, one sector, above all the rest, kept our economy going,” he told the crowd.
He said the Government’s emissions plan was cheating regional communities.
“If you think that in 2022 you are being cheated – then you are right. You are being cheated,” he said.
Peters told the crowd that the real “tragedy” of the Government’s emissions pricing plan would be the reductions of revenue on farm.
He said there would be a more than 25% reduction of revenue on sheep and cattle farms and more than 10% reduction on dairy farms.
“When a highly successful beef farmer confides that he and his professional advisors see this government’s new costs for his farm exceeding $800,000 per annum, we both know that his operation is stuffed.”
Peters said the attempts to be ‘world-first’ were coming at the expense of food production.
“Our farm animals have the lowest carbon footprint in the world,” he said. “Getting rid of our farm animals, in favour of farm animals in other countries with a higher carbon footprint, means the world is going to be worse off.”
“And all the while destroying New Zealand farming families, farming towns, associated employment, and reducing our own food supply, and putting food costs up.”
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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