James Blair Named 2026 Young Grower National Champion
James Blair, an agronomist for AS Wilcox and the Pukekohe regional champion, has won the 2026 Young Grower national title.
The main beneficiaries of the EU FTA will be kiwifruit, onions, honey, wine and seafood.
The horticultural sector will have $46 million in tariffs slashed from day one, while honey exporters will benefit from the phased removal of the 17% over three years, and for mānuka honey rights from day one.
NZ's two main exports - dairy and meat - have not gained the access they were hoping for. However, butter gets 36,000 tonnes of quota - phased in over seven years. While small in NZ terms, it equates to around 60% of the EU's total annual butter imports. Cheese will have improved access, growing from just over 6,000 tonnes to 31,000 tonnes over seven years.
Beef access again is small, but perhaps understandable given that the EU is a major beef producer. The quota will progressively go to 10,000 tonnes over seven years with a reduced tariff quota.
NZ sheep meat exporters will have access to an additional duty-free quota to the EU growing to 38,000 tonnes over 6 years. This is on top of existing duty-free WTO quota access to the EU of 125,769 tonnes.
B+LNZ's Wormwise veterinarian Mary Bowron has won the Best Sheep and Beef Vet of the Year Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to New Zealand’s sheep and beef sector.
Researchers at Massey University are using a special piece of scientific equipment to improve the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from pasture soils.
More signs of a booming kiwifruit sector.
OPINION: David Seymour and James Meager's plan to make it easier for farmers and orchardists to operate drones can best be described a 'courageous' move.
New Zealand wool is reaching new heights as air filtration companies move away from synthetic products to biodegradable alternatives.
Opuha Dam's ability to protect South Canterbury communities from major flooding has taken a significant step forward, with Opuha Water Limited (OWL) successfully commissioning a new outlet valve capable of releasing record volumes of water from the dam ahead of a weather event.

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