Editorial: Long overdue!
OPINION: The Government's latest move to make freshwater farm plans more practical and affordable is welcome, and long overdue.
Farmers are being overwhelmed by pressure to comply with new regulations.
Federated Farmers’ meat and wool section chair Miles Anderson told Rural News, at the recent Red Meat sector conference, of farmers’ problems in meeting the expectations of local and central government and meat companies.
It worries him that many farmers are quitting the industry because of this pressure.
“It adds a lot of psychological pressure on farmers and I fear that the smaller, family-type farm that’s been the backbone of NZ will find it harder to exist.”
Farmers face a variety of challenges – environmental change and climate change in particular. Anderson says he’d like to hear sound science on what is and what isn’t contributing to climate change.
“As for the environmental footprint of synthetic proteins being minor, I severely doubt this because of the intensive cropping needed to produce the precursors for the proteins; so you would have fertiliser use, chemical use and monoculture crops.
“With big areas you have biodiversity issues, water use and carbon in the soil, so I would like to see some evidential science on that as well.”
Consumer demand is also an issue. If the consumer is prepared to pay more for food verified as sustainably produced, farmers will do it, he says.
“But it’s doing stuff at cost for no return that I’m concerned about.”
He doubts NZ has done all it can to capture value in the marketplace and says the sector needs to work as a team to get the best returns.
“As country we are good at working in isolation and that needs to change,” Anderson says.
The 2025 game bird season is underway with Hawke’s Bay and Southland reporting the ideal weather conditions for hunters – rain and wind.
A group of meat processing companies, directors and managers have been fined a total of $1.6 million for deliberately and illegally altering exported tallow for profit.
New Zealand’s top cheeses for 2025 have been announced and family-owned, Oamaru-based Whitestone Cheese is the big winner.
Waikato farmer, and Owl Farm demonstration manager, Jo Sheridan is the 2025 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
New Zealand’s special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr believes the outlook for the dairy sector remains strong.
Everyone from experienced veterinarians and young professionals to the Wormwise programme and outstanding clinics have been recognised in this year’s New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe (NZVA) awards.
OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…
OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.