Concerns mount over US-China trade spat
New Zealand trade officials are watching the escalating trade war between the US and China with mounting concern and anxiety.
A US farmer has been awarded US$265m (NZ$411m) in a lawsuit against herbicide providers Bayer and BASF.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a Missouri jury handed $15 million in actual and $250 million in punitive damages to the state’s largest peach grower, Bill Bader.
Bader sued Bayer and BASF after claiming his 1,000-acre orchard had been harmed by the companies’ herbicide that had drifted onto his tress from neighbouring farms in 2015 and 2016.
Bader sued the companies, claiming they encourage farmers to spray their dicamba-based herbicides irresponsibly.
The trial lasted three weeks and is the first case in the United States to make a ruling on the use of dicamba-based herbicides.
US farmers have alleged that dicamba-based herbicides can become vapour in some weather conditions.
They claim the vapour drifting across large distances has caused damage to tens of thousands of acres of cropland.
Bayer says it plans to appeal the verdict, whereas BASF is still to decide its next steps.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
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