Ray Smith: Dairy still has growth potential despite flat export outlook
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Director General Ray Smith believes there is potential for an increase in dairy farming in New Zealand.
The Ministry for Primary Industries should reverse its decision to proceed with the lowering of the import health standards for pork, says Labour's biosecurity spokesperson, Damien O'Connor.
"The pork industry's decision to challenge the Ministry's health standards is the correct one.
"No industry should be exposed to a system of scientific analysis, risk assessment and border protection that has clearly been exposed as deficient.
"The Ministry for Primary Industries should reverse its position and save the pork industry the cost of a legal injunction and challenge through the Court of Appeal.
"This is the least that can be done as a commitment to review its processes and ensure that we have a robust biosecurity system," O'Connor says.
The sale of Fonterra’s global consumer and related businesses is expected to be completed within two months.
Fonterra is boosting its butter production capacity to meet growing demand.
For the most part, dairy farmers in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Tairawhiti and the Manawatu appear to have not been too badly affected by recent storms across the upper North Island.
South Island dairy production is up on last year despite an unusually wet, dull and stormy summer, says DairyNZ lower South Island regional manager Jared Stockman.
Following a side-by-side rolling into a gully, Safer Farms has issued a new Safety Alert.
Coming in at a year-end total at 3088 units, a rise of around 10% over the 2806 total for 2024, the signs are that the New Zealand farm machinery industry is turning the corner after a difficult couple of years.