CO₂ hot water system slashes dairy shed energy costs
A Taupo company says it's the first to bring CO₂-powered water heating technology to New Zealand dairy sheds, helping farmers cut energy costs by up to 85%.
NZ's primary sector's strong commitment to sustainability holds the key to the country obtaining a quality, comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union.
Negotiations on an FTA have been going on for the past three years and it's hoped a deal can be agreed within the next couple of years at the latest.
Government and industry sources have told Rural News that the European parliament, which has to ratify any FTA, will place strong emphasis on NZ's commitment to sustainability. The message being put out to the farming community by officials is that they need to get real about sustainability and that anything less than a full commitment could put an agreement at risk.
Rural News understands that NZ officials have already been quizzed about our country's environmental credentials and how far we are prepared to go in order to sign up to in any FTA.
NZ has already signed up to such issues in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership or CPTPP and this may help reassure EU parliamentarians about our commitment to highly enforceable environmental standards. There is apparently the question of what commitment NZ may make in terms of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Of all the FTA's in the pipeline, the one with the EU will be the one that can deliver the greatest benefit to the NZ primary sector with dairy, meat and wine and horticulture beneficiaries.
The message going out to farmers is that any push back on sustainability could have consequences for them. The line being pushed is that NZ should take control of these standards and avoid the EU stepping in and writing the rules for us.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
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