Editorial: Agri's mojo is back
OPINION: Good times are coming back for the primary industries. From sentiment expressed at Fieldays to the latest rural confidence survey results, all indicate farmer confidence at a near-record high.
OPINION: The sudden resignation of Jacinda Ardern and installation of Chris Hipkins as Prime Minister will see many in the farming sector looking to the old maxim about 'putting lipstick on a pig' - which means making superficial or cosmetic changes to a product in a futile effort to disguise its fundamental failings.
It is fair to say farmers have not been overly enamoured with what the Government has imposed or proposed on the rural sector over the past five years.
What if any difference will Hipkins make to Labour's policy agenda?
Farmers have long been critical of many of the Government's proposed changes and the impact that these will have on the agricultural sector and rural communities.
According to Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard, rural leaders have had nothing to do with the new Prime Minister or his new deputy, Carmel Sepuloni - with neither of them being part of the government team meetings with food and fibre leaders. This could be a good thing and allow for a proper reset of the agriculture sector's fraught relationship with the current government. Or will it just be more of the same?
As Hoggard says, "It (the Government) needs a complete re-look on a whole range of issues."
Beef+Lamb NZ chair Andrew Morrison rightly points out that Hipkins needs to understand the huge amount of financial pressure that farmers are facing when he and his cabinet review what projects should be scrapped or revisited.
The new PM has already made mutterings that change has happened too fast, but it will be a case of waiting and seeing if these words translate into anything in terms of actions.
It should not be forgotten that Hipkins has been deeply involved with the policy direction of the Government from the beginning, as both a senior minister and member of the kitchen cabinet under Ardern.
The rural sector should not hold its breath, rather it can probably expect little more than cosmetic changes in the direction of government policy.
Hence the old saying: 'You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig!'
Newly elected Federated Farmers meat and wool group chair Richard Dawkins says he will continue the great work done his predecessor Toby Williams.
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
According to DairyNZ's latest Econ Tracker update, there has been a rise in the forecast breakeven milk price for the 2025/26 season.
Despite the rain and a liberal coating of mud, engines roared, and the 50th Fieldays Tractor Pull Competition drew crowds of spectators across the four days of the annual event.
Nationwide rural wellbeing programme, Farmstrong recently celebrated its tenth birthday at Fieldays with an event attended by ambassador Sam Whitelock, Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), Farmstrong partners, and government Ministers.
Six industry organisations, including DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ) have signed an agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to prepare the country for a potential foot and mouth outbreak.
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