Bright future for primary sector
A primary sector think tank believes it's incredibly important for the NZ sector to grow exponentially and a big focus should be on developing exports in the 'wellness' space.
The Primary Sector Council believes it’s no longer appropriate to refer to “the primary sector”.
Primary Sector Council (PSC) chair Lain Jager claims "the primary sector" conjures up images of volume-driven extractive commodity production, which was no longer reflective of how New Zealand farming and would fail to attract the people and investment needed for future success.
“Reframing the sector as the ‘agriculture food and fibre sector of Aotearoa/New Zealand’ celebrates our high-value produce and the increasingly sophisticated farming processing and marketing systems and technologies we use.”
Jager said New Zealand’s economic challenge and opportunity is to position it to meet the demand for high-value food and fibres.
“Climate change, water scarcity and degradation, and pressure on biodiversity is the context for many of our consumers and our children. By owning our environmental responsibilities on carbon, water, biodiversity, we can lead the world in truly sustainable food and fibre production.”
Three New Zealand agritech companies are set to join forces to help unlock the full potential of technology.
As the sector heads into the traditional peak period for injuries and fatalities, farmers are being urged to "take a moment".
Federated Farmers says almost 2000 farmers have signed a petition launched this month to urge the Government to step in and provide certainty while the badly broken resource consent system is fixed.
Zespri’s counter-seasonal Zespri Global Supply (ZGS) programme is underway with approximately 33 million trays, or 118,800 tonnes, expected this year from orchards throughout France, Italy, Greece, Korea, and Japan.
Animal owners can help protect life-saving antibiotics from resistant bacteria by keeping their animals healthy, says the New Zealand Veterinary Association.
According to analysis by the Meat Industry Association (MIA), New Zealand red meat exports reached $827 million in October, a 27% increase on the same period last year.

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