OPINION: As pointed out in this column a while back, a new special agricultural trade envoy (SATE) has now been appointed to replace Mike Petersen and take over the role at the start of next year.
OPINION: This old mutt is somewhat conflicted over the $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) overseen by the king of pork barrel politics – Shane ‘Porn free’ Jones.
OPINION: Your old mate notes that the former ‘junior staffer’ who was ‘let go’ by the Nats after the Christchurch shooting has now joined the farming haters at Bitch & Complain (Fish & Game) as a spin doctor.
OPINION: News that a group of Fonterra farmers want an independent review of the Fonterra shareholders council may well be the beginning of the end of its ‘lapdog’ reputation.
The Hound was intrigued to read an article recently, on the Newsroom website, that shows that Education Minister Chris ‘Chippy’ Hipkins was pushing strongly behind the scenes for a merger of Lincoln and Canterbury universities.
This old mutt has been contacted by many concerned individuals about the role the former Synlait boss John Penno is playing in pimping the Government’s freshwater proposals.
Your canine crusader was recently contacted by a concerned reader who’s been prompted to do some research, given the relentless attack upon agriculture in NZ by the incumbent government and other extremist groups.
A mate of the Hound attended the huge meeting in Timaru, last month, on the Government’s proposed freshwater reforms. Hundreds of anxious farmers turned up to hear officials – as well as Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Environment Minister David Parker – discuss the topic.
OPINION: It appears the only people surprised by plummeting levels of rural confidence are the Government and Ag Minister Damien O’Connor.
OPINION: New Zealand's heavy reliance on International Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) credits makes us dangerously exposed to one of the world’s most volatile markets.
OPINION: Your canine crusader reckons it’s hard not to see why the Government is seen as anti-farming.
OPINION: The Hound sees that all the virtue signalling and talk about how good it is is not paying off for Government-owned farmer Landcorp.
OPINION: Your old mate notes that the farming haters at Bitch & Complain (Fish & Game) are now parroting the ‘progressive’ words of both Beef+Lamb and Dairy NZ chairs Andrew Morrison and Jim van der Poel, while demonising Fed Farmers in F&G’s ongoing campaign against the ag sector.
OPINION: This old mutt reckons it’s no wonder the agri-based Lincoln University is going down the tubes.
OPINION: That old saying ‘lies, damned lies and statistics’ should be rephrased: ‘lies, damned lies and environmental lobby-commissioned research’.
Peter Burke has spent the last three weeks observing Brexit first-hand in England and Ireland.
OPINION: By 2050 China will own New Zealand agriculture and with it our country’s future.
OPINION: New Zealanders like their rivers to be clear, to be able to see through the water to the bottom — but this is not always possible.
OPINION: ‘Policy on the fly’ has never been a good option and our Government appears to be combining this with ideology at the forefront and common sense trailing behind.
OPINION: The suggestion that groups such as DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ are selling the sector out over agricultural emissions is way off the mark and fails to grasp the complexity of the issue.
OPINION: The media should allow debate surrounding the causes of climate change.
The Hound understands that Mike Petersen’s time as NZ agriculture’s special trade envoy will soon end.
