THE LATEST Clean Streams Accord report shows dairy farmers are heading in the right direction environmentally, says Fonterra, but Fish and Game has questioned the report’s credibility.

MAF DIRECTOR-general Wayne McNee says he's asked for a detailed review of last month's strawberry growing kit biosecurity incident but the response to the recall has been blasted by Hort NZ.

FEDERATED FARMERS Southland is demanding Environment Southland defer implementation of new rules making dairy grazing a discretionary activity.

FONTERRA HAS upped its forecast payout for the 2012 season 20c/kgMS to $6.90-$7.00 for a fully shared up farmer.

MEAT EXPORTER Alliance Group is among companies trialling new refrigeration technology shipping line Maersk says will cut annual CO2 emissions by 500,000t.

WITH ELEVEN days still to go until entries close, the 2012 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards have already attracted over 400 applicants.

THREE MORE Ballance Agri-Nutrients' sites – Awarua, Whangarei, and Mount Maunganui – have gained ISO14001 certification recognising effective environmental management systems capable of continuous improvement.

JOHN HARTNELL, chairman of Federated Farmers Bees and a former Feds national board member, is a semi-finalist in the 2012 Kiwibank Local Heroes Award, recognising his work as "generalissimo" of the Farmy Army in the wake of Christchurch's February and June earthquakes.

DAIRY PRICES will continue to fluctuate as economic uncertainty grips the EU and the US, says Fonterra chairman Henry van der Heyden.

AS Greenpeace launches its annual attack on dairying's use of palm kernel, drought is looming over key agricultural areas, threatening to put pressure on feed availability.