Editorial: Getting RMA settings right
OPINION: The Government has been seeking industry feedback on its proposed amendments to a range of Resource Management Act (RMA) national direction instruments.
The wool industry is in limbo waiting to see what the world outlook is like “once countries start resuming normality of some description”.
So says Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairman Miles Anderson.
When you think the crossbred wool industry has hit the bottom; it just gets worse, he told the Rural News.
But a lot of industries are in the same boat right now, he says.
“People unsure what the future holds for their particular industry because of the coronavirus around the world.
“Hopefully the wool industry will kick back into gear once the lockdown is finished and sales etc can resume as normal. Fingers crossed that prices lift because certainly it is costing people substantial amounts of money to get their sheep shorn compared to the wool cheque that they are getting.”
Even before the lockdown one member told him it cost them $26,000 to shear their sheep and they only got $18,500 for the wool.
“That was a direct reflection of what was happening in China at the time, the fact that the demand for wool at the sales had dropped.
“Who knows what is going to happen in the future? Every time I think it can’t get worse it does.”
He still hopes something comes out of the Wool Action Group – a subgroup of the Wool Working Group. A report from that group was due to be released by the Minister for Agriculture Damien O’Connor in March but has been delayed by the COVID-19 crisis.
Anderson says for the industry to survive it needs collaboration.
“The growers in the industry need some kind of pathway forward. We were hoping that the report will provide a blueprint perhaps.”
August 6 marks Farm Worker Appreciation Day, a moment to recognise the dedication and hard mahi of dairy farm workers across Aotearoa - and DairyNZ is taking the opportunity to celebrate the skilled teams working on its two research farms.
OPINION: The Government has been seeking industry feedback on its proposed amendments to a range of Resource Management Act (RMA) national direction instruments.
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%.
Waikato is home to a diverse range of lakes, and experts say they urgently need better management and restoration.
Federated Farmers is renewing its call for Greenpeace to be stripped of its charitable status immediately, following the activist group's latest publicity stunt.
Kiwis love their butter, and that's great because New Zealand produces some of the best butter in the world. But when the price of butter goes up, it's tough for some, particularly when many other grocery staples have also gone up and the heat goes on co-operative Fonterra, the country's main butter maker. Here the co-op explains why butter prices are so high right now.
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