Crazy
OPINION: Your canine crusader was truly impressed by the almost unanimous support given by politicians of all stripes in Parliament to the recent passing of legislation for the NZ/EU free trade deal.
The Act Party is asking the Government to be transparent and clear with farmers regarding the potential for an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Australia.
“The party that subjected Kiwis to a daily broadcast from the podium of truth through Covid owes it to farmers to tell them the plan for Foot-and-Mouth,” says Act’s primary industries spokesperson Mark Cameron.
“The primary sector is our economic powerhouse, it accounts for $52.2 billion in export revenue, 81.8% of our trade, 11.1% of GDP, and employs hundreds of thousands of people,” he says.
Cameron says an outbreak of FMD in New Zealand would cripple the nation.
“It would shut the export industry down for months, or even years. The livelihoods of many hard-working farmers would go up in smoke and our wider economy would take a hit that is estimated to be around $15 billion,” he says.
“As the risk of incursion increases, the Government needs to be ready to pull out all the stops, and farmers need to know what the plan is.”
Cameron says he has heard from farmers across New Zealand who say that FMD would be “the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“They’ve already piggybacked our economy through Covid, any incursion would do lasting damage to our prosperity that would take decades to recover from.
“As the disease is rampaging across many tourist hotspots, our biosecurity system is our sole line of defence. All practical measures need to be in place to provide reassurance to rural New Zealand.
“No one will begrudge biosecurity officials for conducting stricter scrutiny at the border, the stakes are too high not to.
“Getting this wrong, almost doesn’t bare thinking about.”
Animal rights organization, SAFE says the government needs to maintain the ban on live exports.
New findings from not-for-profit food supply and distribution organization, the New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) have revealed a 42% increase in demand for food support in 2023 compared to 2022.
New data released by LIC and DairyNZ shows New Zealand dairy farmers have achieved the highest six week in-calf rate and lowest notin- calf rate on record.
Christchurch City Council and the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association (CAPA) have signed an agreement which will open more of Canterbury Agricultural Park for public use while helping to provide long-term certainty for the A&P Show.
This year’s Fieldays will feature a Rural Advocacy Hub - bringing together various rural organisations who are advocating for farmers and championing their interests as one team, under one roof, for the first time.
ASB head of rural banking Aidan Gent is encouraging farmers to speak to their banks when they are struggling.