Hawke's Bay to the world
Rockit chief executive Mark O'Donnell says consumer awareness for the brand continues to improve each year.
OPINION: The biggest issue currently facing our industry is environmental policy, writes Beef+Lamb NZ chief executive Sam McIvor.
Farmers are passionate about being good stewards of their land and want to do the right thing. However, the scale and pace of new government regulations is impacting the financial viability of farming, affecting farmers’ confidence in their industry and having adverse effects on mental health.
In the next government term, we need to see improvements in the essential freshwater regulations to make the rules workable for farmers so they can get on with achieving the desired water health outcomes.
Meanwhile, the government must get fossil fuel emitters to reduce their emissions rather than just planting their pollution on our farms. Limits must be set on the amount of offsetting allowed in the ETS before it’s too late and further swathes of productive sheep and beef farmland are converted to forestry for carbon farming. The RMA isn’t the right tool to fix this problem, but we can work with the government on what is.
We acknowledge action needs to be taken on the environment, but there are farmer and industry-led ways to achieve positive outcomes without unwieldy rule changes – improvements in winter grazing practices over the past two years are a case in point.
We also need some breathing space for our sector and a halt on new environmental policies from the new government. We need to give farmers time to focus on implementing what has already been legislated in the last couple of years.
B+LNZ is working on a new farm planning process focused on the environment that will help farmers meet their regulatory requirements for water, climate change and biodiversity. These will also add value to their farm businesses and help meet customer needs. We want this farm planning process to be accepted as the certified farm plan for essential freshwater.
New Zealand sheep and beef farmers lead the world – we farm more naturally in our free-range systems and use fewer resources than our overseas, often highly industrialised, competitors. We need the government and officials to acknowledge this in the way they develop policy and not rely on overseas studies, and we need them to support us in telling our stories.
If we don’t address these and other important issues facing our sector, our ability to generate export income and support tens of thousands of New Zealand jobs will be jeopardised.
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
World Veterinary Day falls on Saturday 27 April.
The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith says it's important for his department to celebrate the success of a whole range of groups and people around the country.
A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament.
One of the country's top Māori sheep and beef farms is facing a five-year battle to get back to where it was before Cyclone Gabrielle struck just over 14 months ago.