OPINION: There’s some agitation out there at the moment about farming being under threat from forestry. Much of what’s circulating is based on misinformation so it’s time to lay out the facts.

With the Government wanting to implement huge costs on the livestock farming sector by making New Zealand the only country to include farming in an ETS, this old mutt thought it might actually get serious about funding mitigation research.

The Government will take the next few months to go over 12,000 submissions and work on the proposed Essential Freshwater package.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor is predicting huge international demand for a native seaweed if research proves its worth as a potential methane buster for agriculture.

Compensation issues are “always complex,” says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor.

Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor is warning travelling Kiwis to be vigilant as the high-season for the crop-eating brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is under way.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, heads to Thailand today to attend the final Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Ministerial meeting, as negotiations enter their final stages.

A mate of the Hound attended the huge meeting in Timaru, last month, on the Government’s proposed freshwater reforms. Hundreds of anxious farmers turned up to hear officials – as well as Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Environment Minister David Parker – discuss the topic.

OPINION: It appears the only people surprised by plummeting levels of rural confidence are the Government and Ag Minister Damien O’Connor.

Taxpayers forked out at least $31,000 sending Primary Sector Council (PSC) members to an agribusiness bootcamp at Stanford University in California, USA, in July.