Damien O’Connor: NZ united on global trade
When it comes to international trade, politicians from all sides of the aisle are united, says Labour's trade spokesman Damien O'Connor.
OPINION: Your old mate had a bit of a giggle at current Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor's effusive praise of the primary sector, when releasing the latest MPI SOPI report late last year.
O'Connor couldn't get in fast enough to welcome MPI's predictions that the country's primary sector would earn NZ more than $50 billion in export earnings by June 2022.
He even went on to say this figure would grow even more in the years ahead as NZ farmers and growers kept producing the very products the world wants.
Funny thing is that this is the same Damien O'Connor who poured scorn on his predecessor Nathan Guy when the former ag minister outlined his goal for the primary sector to double the value of its 2012 export figures of $32 billion to $64 billion by 2025.
It seems Guy's 2025 target may not be as fanciful as O'Connor claimed at the time!
According to the latest Federated Farmers banking survey, farmers are more satisfied with their bank and less under pressure, however, the sector is well short of confidence levels seen last decade.
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.

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