The industry association representing more than 90 percent of New Zealand’s crop protection and animal health industries has a new name. Animal and Plant Health New Zealand was previously called Agcarm and recently joined forces with the Animal Remedy and Plant Protectant Association. The association represents a one-billion-dollar industry with a value of $20 billion […]
Agri Business
Honouring the arable sector’s tall poppies
New Zealand’s arable industry is on the hunt for its ‘tall poppies’ – not to chop them down but to celebrate their achievements and to inspire others. “We’re a sector that generates $800 million of sales a year, $260m of that in exports, and we’re determined to better highlight to fellow New Zealanders the role […]
Good Employer Awards celebrate food and fibre sector
Media release – NZ Government The food and fibre sector acknowledged its people and leadership at last night’s 2022 Primary Industries Good Employer Awards, a time to celebrate their passion towards supporting employees by putting their health, welfare and wellbeing first,” Acting Minister of Agriculture Meka Whairiti said. “Award winners were selected from an extraordinary […]
Economic Week – June 24
Farm sales down but prices holding There were 403 farm sales in the three months ended May 2022, according to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand’s Rural Market Statistics. This was down 11.0% compared to the three months ended April 2022 and down 10.4% on the three months ended May 2021. For the full […]
Futures Fund gets onside with cutting edge network technology company
New Zealand-based Agritech company Onside has secured government co-investment of $4 million to expand and accelerate the development of its biosecurity technology. Onside’s biosecurity software, Onside Intelligence (OSI), uses data from a range of sources and clever algorithms to construct an intricate rural network that’s able to map potential disease pathways and predict where incursions […]
Owners of unproductive land encouraged to grow ‘black diamonds’
Media release – Ministry for Primary Industries A Bay of Plenty truffle company is sharing the secrets of the industry in a bid to get landowners growing ‘black diamonds’ across the country. Ohiwa Black Diamond Truffles is receiving more than $155,000 of Government funding over three years to share its knowledge with interested growers so […]
Wilding conifer weedkiller approved
Media release – Environmental Protection Authority A weedkiller to target wilding conifers has been approved for use in New Zealand, with controls. Method 240 SL is a herbicide used to control wilding conifers and other woody plants on non-crop farmland, conservation land and recreational parks. It contains the active ingredient aminocyclopyrachlor, which is new to […]
Strict GM controls hamper adoption of clover break-through
by Simon Edwards New Zealand’s current regulations on genetically modified organisms are denying farmers another potential game-changer for reducing methane belched from our livestock. For more than 70 years, plant breeders using conventional breeding techniques have aspired – without success – to develop white clover that has good amounts of condensed tannins (CTs) in its […]
Yili scoops global innovation awards
Media release Laval, France: Global dairy giant Yili has scooped the innovation category at the 15th Global Dairy Congress in Laval, France. Yili, which operates two dairy companies in New Zealand, and its subsidiary Ausnutria topped the tally for most awards at the World Dairy Innovation Awards held simultaneously with the Congress. The awards were […]
Calls for GM debate, regulation reform, grow louder
by Simon Edwards It baffles John Caradus that there are nearly 100 foods produced using gene technology that can be sold in New Zealand if suitably labelled but it’s not possible for New Zealand farmers to use GM technologies in food production. “You’ve got to say that the logic just doesn’t stack up,” the Grasslanz […]