increase font size
Some 40,000 cattle have been exported this year with another 28,000 planned to go in the months ahead.
OPINION: The decision by Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to impose an immediate halt to live animal exports in the wake the sinking of the Gulf Livestock 1 off the coast of Japan is a sensible move.
One would hope this is properly used as a pragmatic opportunity to review what exactly happened in this tragic case. It should not be used as some covert move to end this valuable export trade to appease overly excited animal activists and get this issue off the political agenda.
The ship left Napier on August with 43 crew including two New Zealanders and 6000 cattle bound for China. As Rural News went to press, still only two survivors and one dead crew member from the ship had been found. Let’s not forget, 40 people are still missing.
MPI says it wants to be assured that before there are any decisions about another shipment that it knows what took place on the Gulf Livestock 1 in more detail. That is not only sensible, but the right thing to. The sinking of the ship and the loss of the crew is tragic.
But this shouldn’t be used as some underhand tactic to end the trade of live animals for export. It is a lucrative, safe and important market for NZ.
Claims about high death rates and terrible conditions on board made by animal activists are not borne out by the facts. The cattle on these ships are well looked after on their voyage, fed high-quality feed and given veterinary supervision. The mortality rate is around 0.1%, which is no higher than the death rate if they stayed in NZ. These cattle are sent for breeding purposes, not slaughter and would most likely have been killed as bobby calves in NZ if they had not been sent for export.
This year alone, some 40,000 cattle have been exported with another 28,000 planned to go in the months ahead. The price of $1,400 a heifer is almost double what the same beast would make in NZ.
Yes, we need to ensure that any live exports from NZ meet the highest animal welfare and human safety conditions.
However, we must not allow the emotion of this tragic event or political activism over-rule a lawful, ethical, safe and financially viable option for the NZ livestock sector.
The recent East Coast Farming Expo, held over two days at Wairoa, offered an insight into the current state of agriculture on the east of the North Island, at a time when the locals are remembering the second anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle.
OPINION: At last, a serious effort to better connect farmers and scientists.
An initiative by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to connect farmers with scientists is taking off judging by the response at recent regional field days.
Scientists from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) are part of an international team working to develop a low-cost diagnostic tool that could significantly improve food crop production in developing countries.
Horticulture Minister Nicola Grigg says she takes her hat off to all NZ growers for the hard yards they have put in over the last few years which have resulted in horticulture exports expected to reach the milestone of $8 billion this year.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…
OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.
