New Federated Farmers meat and wool chair praises predecessor
Newly elected Federated Farmers meat and wool group chair Richard Dawkins says he will continue the great work done his predecessor Toby Williams.
Don't get hoodwinked by political 'wannabes'.
That was the message from Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor, speaking at the recent Federated Farmers annual conference. He warned farmers to beware what other political parties and ginger groups have been saying on environmental regulations.
O'Connor claimed it would be irresponsible for any leader - be they farmer or political - to give confused signals or not help farmers to get the right information in a political debate.
He added that some farmers were confused about the message they were getting and noted that understanding the 'why' was very important. O'Connor told the conference that if he was faced with a situation where he didn't understand the reason for change, he'd be reluctant to change.
He conceded that farmers are stressed, having to deal with climate change, geopolitical disruption, rising on-farm costs and a host of other challenges.
"Customer and consumer expectations are changing," O'Connor claimed. "All our major customers - such as Nestle, McDonalds, Tesco and Waitrose - have corporate targets of reducing their global emissions and they are looking to their suppliers, such as us, to do our bit."
O'Connor says regulations are backstops and the vast majority of people are ahead of the game and doing the right thing.
Turning to trade, O'Connor says successful trade agreements are not just about trade. He says NZ brings to trade not just value but also values, and this approach has been behind the success of FTAs with China, the UK and soon the EU.
A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.
Funding is proving crucial for predator control despite a broken model reliant on the goodwill of volunteers.
A major milestone on New Zealand's unique journey to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis could come before the end of this year.
We're working through it, and we'll get to it.
The debate around New Zealand's future in the Paris Agreement is heating up.
A technical lab manager for Apata, Phoebe Scherer, has won the Bay of Plenty 2025 Young Grower regional title.