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Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor.
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 huge reduction in ACC claims from on-farm accidents over the last five years is due to thousands of small, practical decisions being made in sheds, yards, paddocks and around kitchen tables across the country, says Safer Farms ambassador Lindy Nelson.
Certainty and a clear understanding of the needs of rural communities is a critical outcome in the series of government reforms that are taking place at present.
Waikato farmers have been told that the Government’s new planning system legislation and the region’s Plan Change 1 (PC1) “won’t mesh together very well”.
Red meat farmers are using higher farmgate returns to make their farms more resilient, says Federated Farmers meat and wool industry group chair Richard Dawkins.
Newly appointed Federated Farmers vice president Sandra Faulkner says she is honoured and excited to hold the role.
OPINION: Farmers are being put on notice by the Green Party.
As dairy farmers lock in plans for the upcoming mating season, a partnership between Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms has been formed with the aim of making it simpler to create additional value from calves not entering the replacement herd.
Farmers can now get a more reliable view of pasture covers across their farm, thanks to a combination of three data sources.
A warning to dairy farmers not to expect the same good conditions that they experienced last season, has been issued by a leading farm consultant.
South Waikato farmer Bas Nelis is always interested in fine-tuning his business to improve results.
On a farm in Tikorangi, North Taranaki, Brent Stevenson is sharemilking 1,400 cows.
