Too Lenient
OPINION: Reckless action by Greenpeace in 2024 forced Fonterra to shut down a drying plant for four hours, costing the co-op about $300,000.
OPINION: The Hound doesn't have the highest regard for multi-national, fundraising conglomerate Greenpeace.
However, he reckons its attempts to cash in on recent devastating flooding in the top half of the South Island was low - even for it.
"In the wake of the Nelson climate floods, Greenpeace is urging the government to address the causes of climate change from New Zealand's biggest climate polluter, intensive dairy," said Greenpeace's 'lead (anti) agriculture campaigner' Christine Rose.
The Auckland-based biking advocate (just how this qualifies her to speak on agricultural issues is perplexing in itself) then went on to assert - in very poor taste - that the flooding was all the fault of agricultural emissions and would never have happened if the use of nitrogen fertiliser were cut and NZ moved away from 'intensive dairying' to more plant-based, 'regenerative organic farming'.
In advance of the Budget, Finance Minister Nicola Willis put a clear damper on expectations and delivered accordingly.
Farmers should be cautiously optimistic as the 2026/27 season kicks off, says DairyNZ.
RaboResearch senior analyst Emma Higgins expects the 2026/27 dairy season to be another profitable one.
The new dairy season is kicking off with plenty of risks to the forecast farmgate price, both upside and downside, says ANZ agricultural economist Matt Dilly.
A potential showdown between the top two Federated Farmers leaders looms at the farmer lobby's annual meeting later this month.
FarmIQ Systems has developed a free land management app to help remove barriers to New Zealand farmers and growers adopting digital tools.

OPINION: While we're on the topic of lumberjacks, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard has no doubt used a chainsaw hundreds of…
OPINION: To a chorus of crying greenies, and not a minute too soon, the Government has moved to put the…