Greenpeace a charity?
OPINION: Should Greenpeace be stripped of their charitable status? Farmers say yes.
Feds president William Rolleston has called for the NZ government to stand strong in the TPP negotiations.
He told delegates to the Feds annual conference that agriculture is still the country’s greatest strength and it is not for sacrificial slaughter on the table of compromise.
“If nations cannot tolerate free trade, including in agriculture, they need to step aside from the TPP negotiations and let those who are willing finish the deal.”
Referring to low prices in the dairy industry, Rolleston reminded delegates that as an open and trading nation NZ was vulnerable to international events.
“The Greek debt default is a fast moving feast and there is plenty to play out. Falling stock markets in Shanghai, in response, could have a chilling effect on confidence in China and pose a potential risk to our exports. Panic in world affairs has never been a winning strategy so we look to the leaders involved to play it cool and settle the situation.”
Rolleston, recently elected deputy chair of the World Farmers Organisation, returned from a WFO meeting just hours before the Feds met. He sees common issues for farmers worldwide, including access to modern technology and government investment in agricultural science.
“While for some, lack of access to technologies is a problem of scale and finance, for us it is regulatory. NZ farmers should have access to modern technologies such as nanotechnology, genetic modification and pesticides when they are shown to be safe.
“Do we need regulation? Of course we do, but it should be based on risk rather than process,” he says.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
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OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.