Be afraid
OPINION: Your old mate hears some of the recent uptick in farmer confidence has slipped since the political polls started leading a bit to the left, away from the current coalition of National, Act and NZ First.
Your old mate has become increasingly frustrated by the ridiculous claims of animal fundamentalists at SAFE about live sheep shipment to Mexico; these are never challenged by mainstream media.
SAFE claimed sheep on the trip would suffer “stressful, terrifying weeks during a long journey and many, many 100s would die”. However, when it was revealed that fewer than 0.3% died on the voyage (lower than the average death rate on most farms), SAFE then claimed these deaths were due to “starvation”. But if starvation was the cause how do the animal extremists at SAFE account for the sheep gaining weight on average by 4kg per head during the trip? The Hound suggests the name SAFE should stand for ‘Say Anything For (media) Exposure!
A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.
Funding is proving crucial for predator control despite a broken model reliant on the goodwill of volunteers.
A major milestone on New Zealand's unique journey to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis could come before the end of this year.
We're working through it, and we'll get to it.
The debate around New Zealand's future in the Paris Agreement is heating up.
A technical lab manager for Apata, Phoebe Scherer, has won the Bay of Plenty 2025 Young Grower regional title.