Faking it
OPINION: Demand for red meat is booming, while it seems the heyday of plant-based protein is well past its 'best before' date.
OPINION: Why do vegans and others opposed to eating meat try to convince others that a plant based diet is the best, when they themselves actively seek out veg-based products that taste like meat?
Things like ‘Not Bacon’, ‘Not Sausages’ etc - the list is long - are designed to mimic the flavour of meat and are popular with those who actively criticise meat eaters.
Yet the ‘not meat’ products they buy are a poor substitute for the real thing, judging by the failures of a number of manufacturers of this goop.
Clearly, some vegans claim to hate meat, yet in their hearts, they really long for a juicy T-bone steak. Or perhaps bacon. They say the smell of bacon is the ‘gateway drug’ – good enough to turn a half-hearted vegetarian back from the dark side!
Last month's Agritechnica event led to a wide group of manufacturers celebrating successes when the 2026 Tractor of the Year Competition winners, selected by a panel of European journalists, were announced in Hanover Germany.
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.

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