DairyNZ announces levy referendum date
DairyNZ has announced the date for its upcoming Milksolids Levy vote.
DairyNZ chairman Jim van der Poel says science and farmer innovation will once again find solutions to challenges facing the dairy sector.
Addressing the DairyNZ Farmers Forum in Cambridge, he says the dairy sector is facing different challenges today than what it faced three decades ago.
“Some are a result of our success,” he says.
“The research we did in the 80’s and 90’s helped dairy to outcompete other land uses and we saw dairy expand, especially in the South Island.”
The dairy sector grew by 100% between 1985 and 2015. This meant dairying became more intense and covered a larger area.
Van der Poel says this increased our environmental footprint and the number of high-quality people needed to run those operations.
“And once again science and farmer innovation will be a key factor in finding solutions.”
He says DairyNZ is currently in the decade of research into methane reduction, nitrogen leaching and changing the job on farm through modern farming practices and technology.
Van der Poel says in his view, dairying has a great future.
“We are globally recognised for the quality of what we produce.
“The commitment to funding the science we need to do to resolve today’s issues together with our innovation and resilience will help us get there.”
Fonterra has unveiled the first refrigerated electric truck to deliver dairy products across Auckland.
Research and healthcare initiatives, leadership and dedication to the sector have been recognised in the 2025 Horticulture Industry Awards.
Virtual fencing and pasture management company Halter says its NZ operations has delivered a profit of $2.8 million after exclusion of notional items.
Manuka honey trader Comvita slumped to a $104 million net loss last financial year, reflecting prolonged market disruption, oversupply and pricing volatility.
The Government has struck a deal with New Zealand's poultry industry, agreeing how they will jointly prepare for and respond to exotic poultry diseases, including any possible outbreak of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI).
The conversion of productive farmland into trees has pretty much annihilated the wool industry.