Biosecurity award for M. bovis work
A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament.
The country needs to be very careful about not allowing the debate over fresh water quality to be solely about the dairy industry.
That's the view of Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith who, along with Primary Industry Minister Nathan Guy, recently released a consultation document on fresh water entitled 'Next Steps'. This sets out a series of initiatives to improve water quality in lakes, rivers and waterways.
One of the main proposals centres on having dairy cows and pigs excluded from waterways by next July and beef and deer being phased in by 2030. A fine of $100 per animal up to a maximum of $2000 is also proposed.
Smith told Rural News that improving water quality is not just an issue for rural NZ, but for urban NZ as well.
"We need to be honest with city folk and tell them that their water ways are the most polluted. Having said that, we need farmers to appreciate that our biggest water quality problem by scale is in those areas where there is intensive farming," he adds.
"The Government wants to see that everybody does their share of the heavy lifting. There is no question that dairy farmers are under substantial financial pressure and the Government does need to take that into account.
"With that in mind, our view is that the direction around water quality needs to be constant, but the pace needs to be adjusted to take account of the level of financial pressure the dairy industry is under at the moment."
Smith says, in actual fact, the requirement to fence cows out of water ways is not a major one for the dairy industry. He says about 98% of dairy farmers already comply and there are just a few stragglers that need to be dealt with.
Farmer-led charity, Meat the Need is calling for donations to enable it to supply more meals to families in need.
Weaker pricing and demand from China continue to impact New Zealand red meat export earnings.
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.