'Regulatory Middlemen'
OPINION: Groundswell's opinion of the incumbent farm industry representatives isn't high.
OPINION: A mate of the Hound's recently pointed him to a podcast called The Detail, and a recent episode covering the emergence of rural ginger group Groundswell.
The supposedly independent taxpayer-funded podcast, interviewed a Wellington-based journalist all about Groundswell.
Said journalist pontificated on putting the boot into Groundswell - claiming the lobby only represented an "angry vocal minority that doesn't reflect what most farmers are thinking" and "the way they've carried on just does the sector an enormous disservice".
The podcast producers made a brief disclosure saying this journalist's husband "worked in the primary sector".
However, this 'disclosure' was not very 'full'.
In fact, said journalist's husband is in fact the highly-paid spin doctor for many of the established primary sector lobbies in Wellington, most of which has criticised and who are currently in a public dogfight with the rural lobby.
Farmgate lamb prices are down by 8%, beef cattle by 4.5% and farm expenditure up by 4.2%.
Kiwifruit growers are watchful but remain optimistic as concerns around the potential effects of the El Niño weather pattern this season.
Almond hulls sourced from Australian orchards may have the potential to help New Zealand cows reduce emissions, boost milk yield and lower input costs.
Striking a balance between meeting the needs of industry to speed up approval time for products but on the other hand ensuring that risks are properly assessed.
Surprised, humbled and quite thrilled. That’s the reaction of James Allen, one of the founding partners and now chief executive of AgFirst, on being made a life member of the Institute of Rural Professionals.

OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…