India FTA 'still a priority'
Agriculture and Overseas Trade Minister Todd McClay says his government is pulling out all the stops to get a trade deal with India.
EAST COAST AgFirst consultant Hilton Collier is the new president of the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management, replacing Wayne Allan who’s completed the standard two-year term in the role.
“Wayne has been a driving force in developing NZIPIM’s new strategic plan and instrumental in its implementation,” says Collier, who says there’s an increasing need for NZIPIM and its members to play a leadership role within the primary industry, within and beyond the farm gate.
“This includes positioning our farmers and growers to capture global market opportunities and ensure we have a highly profitable primary sector to levels New Zealand formerly enjoyed as one of the best standards of living in the OECD.”
NZIPIM has 700 members including agribusiness and farm management consultants, education providers, farm financiers, accountants, farmers, rural valuers, vets and fertiliser firms.
It’s aim is to promote excellence in primary industry through professional standards, conduct, recognition and continuous professional development of members, and promoting and encouraging people into primary industry careers. Its annual conference is at Lincoln August 5-7. See www.nzipim.co.nz.
Collier is a B.AgSci graduate of Lincoln who joined MAF in 1985 as a farm advisory officer then founded AgFirst group in 1995.
His client base includes many substantial Maori farming operations. In 2012 he completed a Food and Agribusiness Market Experience (FAME) programme including a study tour of China.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
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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