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!
Fonterra directors and councillors are in for a pay rise next month.
Federated Farmers says it is cautiously welcoming signals from the Government that a major shake-up of local government is on its way.
Ashburton cropping and dairy farmer Matthew Paton has been elected to the board of rural services company, Ruralco.
The global agricultural landscape has entered a new phase where geopolitics – not only traditional market forces – will dictate agricultural trade flows, prices, and production decisions.
National Lamb Day is set to return in 2026 with organisers saying the celebrations will be bigger than ever.
Fonterra has dropped its forecast milk price mid-point by 50c as a surge in global milk production is putting downward pressure on commodity prices.

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