Competition snares over 33,000 wild goats
The National Wild Goat Hunting Competition has removed 33,418 wild goats over the past three years.
OPINION: Good news for hunters as Forest & Bird have "paused" legal action against the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation and agreed conservation work can continue without the extermination of wapiti.
The legal action was an own goal in the first place.
For 13 years, DOC worked with the Foundation, letting hunters pay for ballot access to hunt this prized species, providing population management of an introduced species for free.
So could this signal a change in attitude from the normally litigious F&B?
We can only hope, but the Hound isn't holding his breath.
F&B have taken legal action against government numerous times: opposing amendments to consenting pathways for wetlands; suing over fisheries catch limits; blocking mining initiatives.
Let's hope the sensible decision over Wapiti will hold and F&B will keep their well-paid lawyers on a leash for once.
Farmer confidence has taken a slight dip according to the final Rabobank rural confidence survey for the year.
Former Agriculture Minister and Otaki farmer Nathan Guy has been appointed New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy (SATE).
Alliance Group has commissioned a new heat pump system at its Mataura processing plant in Southland.
Fonterra has slashed another 50c off its milk price forecast as global milk flows shows no sign of easing.
Meat processors are hopeful that the additional 15% tariff on lamb exports to the US will also come off.
Fears of a serious early drought in Hawke’s Bay have been allayed – for the moment at least.

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