Bikinis in cowshed
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.
MPI is taking the fight against velvetleaf to individuals in the provinces with a series of farmer support meetings starting in the South Island next week.
Velvetleaf is an invasive pastoral and cropping weed that has been found on 252 farms around the country. The majority of affected properties are in Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Its presence here has been linked to the importation of contaminated fodder beet seed.
The ministry has been working with primary sector industry bodies and regional councils to investigate the situation, find and destroy outbreaks, and develop plans to manage the weed in future.
Response incident controller David Yard says managing velvetleaf is possible if everyone involved stays on top of it – every year.
"We recognise that this is very disappointing for those farmers who have this pest weed on their properties. But we are also keen that farmers understand that relatively simple measures such as good machinery hygiene, management of stock and crop planting, and removing any velvetleaf plants that appear will all help control the situation.
"It is vital that farmers and rural contractors have this knowledge and for this reason, we've organised meetings in the key affected areas to provide full information about velvetleaf and its management."
There are two components to the meetings in each location. In the mornings – from 10am – midday – there will be an open public session and during the afternoons affected farmers will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with technical experts to develop a personalised management plan for their property.
The full schedule of meetings is on the MPI website at: http://mpi.govt.nz/protection-and-response/responding/alerts/velvetleaf/
The first three meetings are in Canterbury as follows:
Tuesday, July 19 - Waipara Hall, Cnr Johnston St and Ferguson Ave, Waipara, Amberley
Wednesday, July 20 - Pleasant Point Town Hall - Halstead Road, Pleasant Point, Timaru
Thursday, July 21 - Tinwald War Memorial Hall, Cnr Graham and McMurdo Streets, Tinwald, Ashburton
All meetings start at 10am.
For more information about velvetleaf see the MPI website: http://mpi.govt.nz/protection-and-response/responding/alerts/velvetleaf/
Balclutha farmer Renae Martin remembers the moment she fell in love with cows.
Academic freedom is a privilege and it's put at risk when people abuse it.
All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.
Claims that some Southland farmers were invoiced up to $4000 for winter grazing compliance checks despite not breaching rules are being rejected by Environment Southland.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
From 1 October, new livestock movement restrictions will be introduced in parts of Central Otago dealing with infected possums spreading bovine TB to livestock.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.